


Of Broken Chains and Shattered Lives

by Gyhl



Category: Kingsman (Movies)
Genre: Abuse, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Slavery, Angst, Dark, Eggsy's life sucks, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Forced Marriage, I may have accidentally done, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Torture, It'll get better, Kinda, Master/Slave, Multi, Omega Eggsy Unwin, Oops, Pain, Rape/Non-con Elements, Sexual Content, Sexual Slavery, Soulmates, Torture, Victim Blaming, but it's there now, canon events went out the window, eventually, it wasn't in the plans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-13
Updated: 2018-09-05
Packaged: 2019-03-04 08:46:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 19
Words: 107,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13360869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gyhl/pseuds/Gyhl
Summary: Even with only moonlight and starlight, he could see the worry in her eyes. He lifted up the medallion she wore and kissed it before saying four quiet, yet confident, words.“I’ll be right back.”Eggsy is an Omega in a world where being an Omega makes one little more than a slave. He's never felt the drive to submit to anyone, or even be very obedient, and now he's running out of time to learn how.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first attempt at an A/B/O fic. I know it's usually wolf/canine based, but I made it hyena-based. Cos hyenas are bad-asses.
> 
> Story hierarchy is based around the family unit, so Mother isn't actual birth mother, but is the head of the family.
> 
> Please enjoy :)

1

Two forms moved quietly through the woods. The man in front was dark haired and on the larger side for a Beta. He didn’t look dressed for a romp through the woods under the cover of darkness. He was in a suit that had clearly been tailored to him; one that refused to snag or tear on the nettles and branches that tore at him.

The other was a woman. She was small, blonde, and carrying a bundle tight to her chest. She kept one hand on the man’s shirt, clutching a small piece of it like a child. She moved with the silent grace of one accustomed to being the unseen and the unheard. Her eyes were a story of their own; they spoke of a woman uncomfortable being so exposed, afraid of her surroundings, and of the implicit trust for the man she followed.

The trees were thinning and he knew they were coming to the road. He stopped, slipped out of the suit jacket, and put it around her shoulders. Even with only moonlight and starlight, he could see the worry in her eyes. He lifted up the medallion she wore and kissed it before saying four quiet, yet confident, words.

“I’ll be right back.”

She pulled the jacket tight around herself, as if she was trying to hide herself and what she was carrying under it. She watched him as he sneaked from tree to tree, looking for sign of anyone else. The car, he’d told her, was a half-kilometre up the road. All they had to do was get to it and they were home free. But when the hand fell over her mouth and she felt the arm clamp around her waist, she knew it was over. The only thing that kept her from crying out was years of training.

“I thought about letting you get farther,” a voice called from the road. “But we’re hungry.”

The others that had been laying in wait for them laughed, high in pitch and cruel in mirth. She was half-carried, half-pushed to the road, thin branches slapping at her face. Their pursuers’ cars roared to life, the glare of the combined headlights blinding. She could see him, gun in hand and surrounded by a half-dozen other Betas. The suit was supposed to be bulletproof, but he only had half of it.

The owner of the voice came into the light. She was large; a huge, ginger Alpha with an equally large belly. She was near birthing, and her hormones were at their peak. The clan-mother was a vicious sadist on the best of days, and the blonde trembled at the thought of being punished by her, personally.

The Beta aimed his gun at her, and then lowered his aim to her engorged belly. The Alpha seemed half-curious, half-amused by the showing. He looked, briefly, to where the woman was and saw she was still being held by one of them.

“Yes, you don’t have the time. Not to shoot me and still get out of here with her alive.”

“I just want what’s mine,” he snarled.

“Well, of course you do. We _all_ want what’s ours, isn’t that so? And I told you that you were free to take what was _yours_.”

She motioned to where the blonde was being held and they pushed her, step-by-step, over to the Alpha. She stayed huddled under the jacket, shuddering.

“Now, let’s see…” She pulled the suit jacket off of the Omega and looked it over. “This is yours, yes.” She tossed it toward him; it landed on the road between them.

“Hmmm… and this....” She picked up the medallion. It was a pink circle with a sideways K. His name was engraved into the bar of the K. “Well, this says she’s yours.” She tsked. “Kingsman, really? Of all the clans you could leave us for, but oh well.”

She snatched the bundle out of the woman’s arms. The Omega screamed in rage and tore at the Alpha. The others, the ones who’d had to push her over before, grabbed her and pulled her back. 

“Well, doesn’t she have spirit? She’s yours, of course.” She sounded almost amused and a little too cheerful. “If she were still mine, I’d beat it out of her. But she isn’t.”

They hauled her over to where the Beta was, and she seemed to almost deflate. He put a hand on her arm to steady her. He’d seen her like that one other time, but never in public. And never toward an Alpha. It was what had made him want her in the beginning.

“This, now…” she mused, unwrapping the bundle. Inside was a baby. A boy with the first hints of his father’s dark hair. “This is mine.”

He raised the gun again. “He’s my _son_.”

“Children belong to the pack, Lee. He isn’t yours.” She cradled the infant to her chest. “Now, you should probably be a good sport and leave.” All the good humor left her face as if it had never been there. “Before I do something _Gary_ will regret.”

He lowered his gun. Behind him, Michelle whimpered his name. There were too many of them for him to fight through, the clan-mother aside. And if he fought them now and died… Michelle had _attacked_ the Alpha. She’d be in more danger than Gary was.

“Alright, _Poppy_. We’re going.”

2

Eggsy’s head rocked with the force of the blow, and he could feel blood running down from his lips. He thought about wiping it away as one little _fuck you_ to Dean. Instead, he clenched his jaw and looked at his caretaker. The hate was clear in his eyes, but he did his best - well, almost his best - at keeping it down.

“Lucky I don’ jus’ send you to Mother,” he snarled.

Eggsy’s eyes widened slightly and the fight drained from his face. This wasn’t a threat Dean had trotted out often, maybe a handful of times at most. The first time, he hadn’t really understood was being sent to Poppy meant and he’d pushed Dean farther. He’d learned, and he still had scars from it. It wasn’t something he wanted to experience again.

“Nothin’ to say, huh? No more smart shit in that mouth of yours?”

“No.”

Eggsy could hear the attitude in his own voice. It rose in him to apologize, but that was because it was expected. He knew that was, in part, what Dean wanted, too. An apology. But he wasn’t sorry, not for any of it. And he might have pointed that out to Dean, too, if the threat of Mother wasn’t already on the table. Excuses and complaints from Omegas were not tolerated in the pack. Dean would have taken the excuse as a reason to beat him again; Mother, on the other hand, would take it as an attack on her authority. A beating would be the best he could hope for at that point.

Dean said - and did - nothing for a minute or two. He watched Eggsy impatiently and, when the expected apology for the grand fuck up the brat had caused didn’t come, Dean lost the tenuous control he had on his temper. He wrapped one hand around the boy’s neck and struck him with the other. He didn’t say a word; he just hit him again, and again, and again.

For his part, Eggsy grabbed onto Dean’s wrist. It was less an attempt to stop him - oh, wouldn’t _that_ go over well? - and more an attempt to keep from being strangled. It was never an easy thing, just letting Dean beat on him, but when he was in this kind of mood? That was the best solution. And Dean’s rages wore themselves out after 18 or 20 blows, usually.

He knew he was supposed to feel some… desire? drive? _something_ to submit, but Dean just made him want to fight, to challenge the larger Beta’s authority. The times he’d fought back had never ended well. The last time he’d ended up in hospital and Dean had promised, sworn to fucking God, that if Eggsy didn’t show some proper fucking respect, he’d take the Omega down to Chauncey Clan’s territory and drop him in the middle of it without his medallion. That had kept him in line for a few months after getting out of hospital.

Since he’d come of age, Dean had been trying to find someone to take Eggsy off his hands. Not as a new caretaker, no. The clan-mother had personally handed the boy off to Dean; he couldn’t give the boy away to a caretaker without losing any status. Finding Eggsy a master was the only real solution. But in their clan, the Alpha females and a good portion of the Beta ones were Primary Females; for them, bearing a child was the highest test of strength. They wanted nothing to do with a Secondary Male, a child-bearing male, like Eggsy. Finding a male who both wasn’t vying for the status of being the father of these women’s child and was willing to put up with Eggsy’s attitude was not an easy task.

It hadn’t helped that every person Dean had sent Eggsy off to had brought up this same desire to do anything but submit. He’d fought them every step of the way, sometimes physically. More than once, he’d heard someone comment about his having something inside him broken; that it was good he liked caring for the little ones because that’s all he’d be good for; that it was a shame Mother hadn’t just drowned him in a bath. And sometimes he thought that maybe it _was_ a shame she hadn’t. He’d seen other Omegas submitting to their masters. Some of them did what was required of them with about the same reaction that he had to changing a baby these days. Some of those ones were unclaimed, like he was, but they were capable of giving what was required of them.

Others… Others seemed so _blissful_ when they heard their master’s voice. One cousin would stay in the children’s area when her master was away. Eggsy had been down there a few times when the master had returned. She would all but _glow_ at seeing him. She would very clearly want to go to him immediately, but she would finish up what she was doing while he watched. Her steps would become very lithe and bouncy, almost as if she was dancing. Eggsy couldn’t see where that devotion and joy came from.

A hard shake pulled him out of his thoughts, and he realized he’d missed… _something_. But given the look Dean was giving him, Eggsy realized he must have seemed more unconscious and less mentally elsewhere.

“You hear me?”

“Not really.”

Dean let go of him, pushing him backward at the same time. Eggsy stumbled and fell back, his head colliding with the wall and bringing a new wave of pain. Rather than get back up - as much as he wanted to, wanted to egg Dean on, wanted to fight - he rubbed his throat, and ran his hand over the number parts of his face and where he’d hit the wall.

“I said, you’re going to go back there and you’re going to do whatever it takes, whatever he wants, to get him to forgive you. He’s one of her favorites, you stupid fuck.”

Eggsy grimaced. “That woulda been good to know a few hours ago, you prick.” He pushed himself up to his knees and got, unsteadily, to his feet. He was surprised Dean didn’t kick him while he was down, but this new information told Eggsy one other new thing: it wasn’t _just_ his arse on the line with this. “Going. I’m going.”

3

Eggsy took his sweet time wandering through the public areas of the Laughing Ladies’ condominium buildings. Everything was done up in ‘retro 50’s’ which, in Eggsy’s opinion, was a bullshit way of saying ‘red, black, and chrome’. He knew the reference had to be something _more_ than just that, but that was another Omega rule of the pack: don’t ask questions. But he wanted to look it all over before he went back up there, because if he did this right like a Good Little Omega and made whichever favorite this was happy, he wouldn’t be seeing it for awhile. No favorite of _hers_ would be able to keep their status with an unruly Omega in their possession. He’d have to stay locked away in the residence until he could behave.

He wasn’t _just_ wasting time, either. He’d stopped by the aid station and let the nurse look him over. She made it very clear that he was taking up her very important time with this nonsense that wouldn’t have happened if he’d just behaved. She cleaned his lip and made a perfunctory examination of his already-forming bruises and where his head had collided with the wall.

After he went down to the communal area where the kids lived, at least until they were five. After that, where they went varied. There were always Omegas down there; some taking care of the kids and some taking care of the pregnant ones. He’d wanted to check on one of his cousins. She was near birthing and it was her first. He’d been helping care for her for the last few weeks, when he was allowed in the communal area anyway. After that, yeah, then it became pure time wasting. 

He eventually ended up on one of the floors the favorites shared. Their residences were huge. Other Omegas who ended up on these floors were told they were ‘lucky’. Yeah. Lucky. Sure. Just as lucky as he felt when he rounded the corner and the Alpha was standing outside his own door. He was easily twice Eggsy’s weight and had a good foot or so on him. He tried to keep from wrinkling his nose at the scent of the Alpha. He hated it, and hated thinking about having to smell that every day for the rest of his life.

The Alpha had noticed Eggsy’s arrival but he didn’t bother looking at him until Eggsy was within speaking distance. Smug conceit dripped off of every word that came out in his slow, drawling way of speaking - at least, his way of speaking when he was talking down to someone.

“Back are you? Now, what _was_ it you said when you left? Being a ‘silver spoon sucking sod’ - a passable, if sophomoric, alliteration - has left me a bit hard of hearing.”

He really wanted to challenge him, even if it would be a short, unbalanced fight that led to him being sent off to Mother. Just to wipe that smug condescending look off his face. “I was a bit heated, I s’ppose.” 

He laughed that slow, obnoxious laugh of his. “I think ‘a bit heated’ is putting it mildly, Eggy.”

Eggsy twitched visibly, his lips pulling back into a snarl. He _hated_ when the fucker called him that. And the fucker knew it.

“Well, since you’re here, I will allow you to come inside and you can show me just how very sorry you are for getting ‘heated’. And _if_ I’m satisfied, I’ll _consider_ letting Dean know, and then we’ll decide if I think this should be a more permanent arrangement… or if we should just declare you a failure and leave you to whatever Poppy does to failures.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“Well, since you’re here, I will allow you to come inside and you can show me just how very sorry you are for getting ‘heated’."_  
>     
> Mouthing off to a sadistic Alpha who's already pissed at you? Not the best idea. But when has Eggsy ever learned to not mouth off?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ALL THE CONTENT WARNINGS  
> ALL OF THEM  
> I know I've got the tags in place but. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED AGAIN.  
>   
> This chapter is heavy, dark, and painful. Non-con, slavery, Charlie's an asshole ahoy!

Eggsy heard the _snick_ of the lock being engaged. He shifted his gaze to the door, trying to be subtle about it. The lock was a flat piece of metal under the doorknob. A biometric lock. Meaning he was trapped inside the condo until Charlie let him out.

The sound hung in the air between them for a minute. A very _tense_ minute, with the Alpha waiting, presumably, for the Omega to bend on his own and apologize for his behavior. Eggsy wondered just how much the Alpha was going to humiliate him before he’d accept an apology. Maybe it wouldn’t be as bad if he’d actually felt sorry, but he didn’t.

He sighed the way a person might before picking up some heavy burden. “I don’t suppose you’re willing to just be a gentleman and accept my saying that I’m very sorry for everything I said.”

The Alpha chuckled coolly. “Do you really think being a gentleman has _anything_ to do with this, Eggy?”

Eggsy’s lips pulled back into a snarl, almost without thought. “That ain’t my fucking name.”

Charlie tipped his head slightly, a slight smirk playing on his lips. Someone who didn’t know him might have mistaken it for amusement; Eggsy did not. He could see the flat shine of Charlie’s eyes and the coldly calculating look he was getting.

It took everything he had not to fall back as the Alpha closed the space between them. He forced himself to stand still and just steel himself for what was coming. It wasn’t even the knowing that he was going to be hurt for the comment; it was not knowing how Charlie reacted to these things. The not being able to just count the blows and wait out the rage.

Charlie struck him just once, and it was relatively light. Dean had always hit him harder than that. He bit down from taunting Charlie with that, from telling him that a Beta could beat him better. He expected that this one strike was more of a warning than anything.

“It’s your name if I _say_ it is, Eggy. You’re an Omega; you’re property. And as you’re potentially _my_ property, I’ll call you what I like.” He laughed derisively. “And really, that’s how you ended up as ‘Eggsy’ to begin with. Your master decided it. So if I decide your name is Cumstain, your name _is_ Cumstain.”

Eggsy smiled sarcastically, his mouth engaging before his brain. “Aw, how sweet. Calling me after what you are.”

Charlie smiled at him, a flat and mirthless smile more befitting of a feral cat. Eggsy tensed to be slapped again, and so he wasn’t expecting it when the hand curled into a fist and it was driven into his chest instead. The wind was knocked out of him and he went down to his knees, gasping for air. Charlie watched him gasp and let him get his wind back before saying anything.

“I am so much more than you could _ever_ be, _slave_.”

There, again, was that worrisome thing about Charlie. Dean would go into a rage and it would blow over quickly enough. Charlie could hold onto it until he saw an opportune moment to lash out. And then he would pack it away just as quickly, just as simply. Eggsy might never be sure when it was or wasn’t bubbling just below the surface.

“Your mouth is going to get you in trouble.”

And already the anger Eggsy had tapped was gone, hidden away again for the time being. The Alpha’s tone was calm again, simply condescending instead of cold. Eggsy knew a warning when he heard one, and knew that if he didn’t want to know how Charlie would react if he actually got as angry as Dean, he ought to stow the comments. But… it wasn’t that simple for him, and trying to tell himself to obey just made him want to lash out all the more.

“Dean’s never made you live by pack rules, has he. That’s something that will be changing if I decide to keep you.”

Eggsy leaned back on his haunches and slowly got back to his feet. When Charlie didn’t make a move to punch him again, he shrugged. “I live by his rules.”

Charlie gave him an incredulous look. “Oh, yes, and I can see that you adhere to them so well.”

He motioned for Eggsy to follow him and went into the common room. He picked a chair that was as much for effect as it was anything else. The chair was shaped to accentuate his size without being uncomfortable for him. It was upholstered in red velvet with gold embroidery, and it just bordered on being gaudy. There was a dark wood side table beside it, with a pen and pad of scratch paper on top. _Somehow_ Eggsy kept from rolling his eyes at the scene before him.

“Give me an example of Dean’s, ah, _rules_.”

Eggsy eyed him warily. It felt like a trap. “Why?”

Charlie reached over and made a hash mark on the paper without explanation. Eggsy was curious, but not enough to bother asking. If it was more than just a head game, he’d find out eventually.

“I told you to. You need no other reason.”

That time Eggsy couldn’t keep from rolling his eyes, and he saw Charlie put another hash mark on the paper. “Well, he says ‘m not supposed to fight back when I’m being punished.”

Charlie nodded. If Eggsy was actually trained there, it would make things much easier. At least, for Charlie. “And do you?”

“Not usually.”

It had started as a tactical move on Eggsy’s part, and simply become habit. Fighting back had made Dean feel challenged (which never surprised Eggsy, since it had _been_ a challenge) and kept his rage going. Once he stopped feeling challenged, his rages blew themselves out fairly quickly, and then they were back to business as usual. He wasn’t going to point out to Charlie that if backing down didn’t make things better for him, that he’d end up challenging the Alpha even during punishments.

He’d cross that bridge if he had to come to it.

“Good. That’s a pack rule, and not just one of Dean’s making. If we’re, say, in the common areas and you misbehave-” he chortled, “- _when_ I suppose I should say, and if I feel like punishing you then and there, you just take it.”

Eggsy frowned slightly. Dean had always dragged him home before beating him. He hadn’t wanted others to see him punishing Eggsy, not with the chance that Eggsy might keep challenging him and make him seem weak. Charlie’s threat of being punished publicly hit him in a bad way. He didn’t _want_ others’ eyes on him during it. He didn’t want someone else watching while Charlie did whatever he thought would prove his superiority; he didn’t want to be an example to other Omegas.

“You don’t like that idea, hm? Good.”

 _Fuck_. He hadn’t been thinking about how much that might show, or how closely the Alpha would be watching. And he knew that even if he’d managed to keep it from showing, his scent could have still given it away. He suspected that Charlie would make a point of punishing him in public as often as he could.

Eggsy knew he’d just have to make the tactical decision to submit in public. Charlie would realize it, he had no illusions about that. But as long as he made a good show of it, would the Alpha care? It would be good for his image, after all.

“I think we’ll have to go for a little stroll later on, then. For now, shall I assume that Dean _at least_ taught you the rule against excuses?”

Eggsy counted to three before answering. He knew Charlie was baiting him and he wasn’t going to react to it. Or, at least, he was going to try and not react to it. “Yeah, I know that one. Part of not fighting back an all. You don’t give excuses about why ya did something’s wrong, cos it’s wrong as long as you’re told it is.”

Charlie noticed the pause, and the attempt at dampening the attitude. He knew it wouldn’t last, but if the Omega was actually trying, then maybe he _could_ actually be trained. Dean, Beta or not, was just clearly a poor choice of caretaker for the ones like Eggy who weren’t even claimed as someone’s bastard.

“And you know to always be ready for whatever commands I issue?”

“Oh, absolutely. I’ll be _living_ with bated fucking breath for your commands.”

“Yes, you _will_ be,” Charlie agreed as he made a third mark on the paper. “I know I’m hardly the first attempt Dean has made at getting rid of you. Has he taught you to be ready at all times?”

Eggsy spread his hands and shrugged. He wasn’t really sure what Charlie was asking. “I mean, I’m listening, ain’t I?”

Charlie laughed coolly. “That isn’t what I mean. Are you ready to be _fucked_?”

Eggsy had known it would go this direction eventually. He’d just been hoping that it would be farther down the road. Like, say, the Tuesday after never. Because what real choice did he have in the matter?

“As… ready as I could be? I guess?”

“Show me.”

Eggsy gave him a sour look and shrugged out of his jacket. He was about to just drop it on the floor when Charlie cleared his throat and pointed to a pouffe in front of the sofa. He turned toward it, rolling his eyes while Charlie couldn’t see, and laid it over the pouffe. He unbuttoned the neck of his shirt and pulled it off, laying it over the jacket.

“Turn around.”

Eggsy turned in place, slowly. Charlie’s gaze wasn’t one of lust or even of stockbreeder looking for a new purchase; it was curiosity. Eggsy was small, but he was well muscled. But what had drawn the Alpha’s curiosity were the bruises on his torso (including the one that had already formed from Charlie’s punch). He figured it was his back that Charlie _really_ wanted to see, and so he stopped moving once he had his back to the Alpha. 

The Omega’s back was, for lack of a better term, _decorated_ with scars. He’d been beaten at some point with something very thin. The pattern of them on his shoulder blades and just below gave the impression of little wings. The clear, thin scarring was repeated lower on his back with five very clear, parallel scars on either side of his spine. They were done very meticulously, and Charlie assumed they were knife cuts rather than whip marks. Something, probably ashes, had been rubbed into the wounds to make the scars stand out better. He wanted to know what the scarring pattern meant, but sometimes it was better to not know things.

“Continue.”

Eggsy turned back to face him and unbuttoned his trousers. Once folded, they joined his jacket and shirt. He stripped off his pants and, his eyes meeting Charlie’s, pointedly dropped them beside the pouffe. A fourth mark joined the other three, but Eggsy didn’t care. He wasn’t sure that the marks were anything more than a head game.

The only thing he still wore was his medallion. There was no actual rule against taking them off, but most Omegas didn’t. An Omega without their medallion could be considered an unowned Omega, and up for grabs by whoever took them. The medallions were as much protection from others as they were a mark of ownership. 

Each clan had a different design, and Poppy’s design was a simple, thick circle. Dean’s name was engraved on the bottom. There were three Deans in the pack, but most people didn’t concern themselves with more specific identifiers. After all, if an Omega ran for it and kept their medallion, what more did whoever found them need than what clain to return them to?

“Well?”

Charlie eyed him with blandly. Omega males were so much smaller than Alphas, in every way. He let his eyes fall lower, down to the undersized package that was almost the hallmark of Omega men. Of course, the size of Eggsy’s cock was hardly a consideration for Charlie; anything he did with the Omega would be about his pleasure and not Eggsy’s own. If Eggsy wasn’t some special interest for Poppy, he wouldn’t even bother with him. But she’d marked him - rather literally - and that made him desirable. To a point, at least.

“Well what?”

Eggsy bit his tongue before he could mouth off. After a moment, when he trusted himself to speak, he answered, slowly. “You asked me to show you if I was ready to be fucked.”

“Yes, I did.”

“Well, what the f-” He stopped himself. Swallowed. Began again. “What more do you want?”

“Obviously, I want you to get on your knees and show me that you’re slick enough and stretched enough for me.”

“Oh, you fucking… _Obviously,_ I’m neither of those!”

“Then you’re not ready for me.”

Charlie added a fifth mark to the sheet. Eggsy was about ready to snatch up the pad of paper and throw it. Or sock him in the face. Or the dick. _Something_ to wipe that look off his face.

“In that closet,” he motioned to the back of the room, “there’s a box on the bottom shelf, right side. Bring it to me.”

Eggsy went over to the closet. It looked like a coat closet with a single door and a square area that jutted out from the wall. Upon opening it, however, he realized there was quite a bit more to it. For one thing, the door was heavy, a piece of solid wood instead of fiberboard or something similar. And straight off, there were no shelves. There was, however, a neatly hung line of whips. 

The side wall was gone and the closet was long enough to walk in. Halfway in was the set of shelves Charlie had spoken of. He bent to pick up the box he’d been sent for, and stopped midway. Because in the back of the closet, the very back… Shackles hung down from either corner, and a matching set was on the floor. A pair of harnesses hung down between them: one was a head harness that had straps for the forehead and one going around the top of the head and jaw; the other was a chest harness. The floor dipped and there was a drain in the center.

Eggsy did not like the implications of this room, and he did not like how effective a warning it was.

He brought the box out and held it out for Charlie. He expected the Alpha to make some comment, or a verbal threat. Instead, he merely opened the box and held up a harness. Eggsy wanted to comment on it and Charlie’s apparent thing for them, but actually _looking_ at the harness made the words die.

It was designed to look a bit like a g-string. It buckled around the waist, but the front of it had a cock cage attached. The back of it wasn’t just a strap leading to the belt. No, that would have been too simple. There was a very wide plug attached to it. And he could see where everything could be locked in place.

“It won’t be comfortable, but you’ll be able to wear it long term.”

That made Eggsy’s stomach drop. It wasn’t something anyone had ever threatened him with, and the idea of being physically reminded with every movement that someone like this fuck owned him made him want to puke. Or scream. Or just kill the fucking Alpha. It would be stupid and he’d be in more trouble than he’d ever imagined getting into, but it would feel so good right now.

“Charlie, Charlie, look. I can, I can behave, okay? And I can make sure I’m stretched, okay?”

Charlie stood and Eggsy fell back without even thinking about it.

“I’ll let you out of it twice a day, to take care of whatever business you need to and a shower, but otherwise, you’ll have it on at all times. _Or_ I can bring you back to Dean and tell him you’re a lost cause.”

Eggsy turned in place. The door was locked and only Charlie could open it. His only other escape routes led further into the condo. Even if he ran, there was no real escape, and eventually Charlie _would_ get to him. And it would be all the worse.

So he stilled and let Charlie buckle it around his waist. He tried to go somewhere else mentally as he felt the Alpha’s hand on his cock, guiding him into that cage. It was tight, but wouldn’t be actively painful as long as he was soft.

“Get on your knees.”

He went down to his knees and braced himself. He tried to relax himself, but he couldn’t. Having control over his own body was one of the few freedoms he’d always had. And it was being taken away from him.

The Alpha’s hand wrapped around his neck. He was about to ask why, but then he felt the plug at his opening. Without any foreplay or preliminary stretching.

“Oh, come on. Let me-”

The hand around his neck tightened and Eggsy grabbed at Charlie’s arm. The Alpha was far stronger than he was, but it didn’t stop him from trying. What did stop him, however, was the sudden bright pain of the plug being slammed home, and the tearing he felt inside. Eggsy let out a few shuddering breaths, barely even noticing it as the straps were tightened and locked.

“You fuck.” It was a painful whisper.

Charlie ran his hand through Eggsy’s hair once, twice, and then tightened. He pulled Eggsy up by his hair and he didn’t give the Omega time to really get his footing before half-walking, half-dragging him toward the closet.

“Get your fucking hand off me!”

He struggled to break the vice-like grip, but between having to try and walk like that and the Alpha’s strength, he didn’t get anywhere. He hadn’t even noticed where he was being dragged until he heard the door open.

“No! C’mon, man. I’m sorry for what I called you before!”

“I’m sure, but this is for mouthing off all night. Beatings don’t work on you; that’s clear enough. Perhaps this will make that ‘sorry’ stick for once.”

He slammed Eggsy up against the back wall and wrapped his free hand around Eggsy’s throat. He squeezed enough to make breathing difficult but not hard enough to cut off Eggy’s air entirely.

“I can choke you out if I need to, but believe me when I say you won’t like what happens when you wake up. Or you can show me you’re really sorry and stop struggling.”

It was difficult, but Eggsy managed to stop fighting against him. He could feel tears prickling, and he hated himself for it. He never cried, _never_. But he was quickly being pushed past his limit.

“Good.” He loosened his grip on Eggsy’s throat. “Now you’re going to put your arms up so I can chain them. And if you struggle, I _will_ choke you out.”

It took Eggsy a few shuddery breaths before he could force himself to put his arms up. Charlie let go of him and snapped the shackles around Eggsy’s wrists. He had to go on tiptoe in order to let him. He wasn’t on tiptoe long, because Charlie was shortly pulling his legs in turn and snapping the shackles around his ankles. He could already feel the metal digging into his wrists and he really hoped this was just for an hour or so.

Charlie pulled the chest harness straps over Eggsy’s shoulders and buckled them together. He pulled the other two around him, buckled them to the center, and then tightened them. Eggsy sucked in a breath, a little surprised at how restrictive it was and Charlie tightened it some more.

“How easily can you breathe?”

“Not well,” he admitted in as submissive of a tone as he could manage.

“Good.” 

Last was the head harness. He pulled it over the top of Eggsy’s head and guided it down the bridge of his nose, to where it split to go around the mouth and then connect again under the jaw. He guided the connecting straps to the back of the harness. Once everything was tighened, Eggsy couldn’t even open his mouth. The strap around his forehead ensured that he couldn’t somehow rub his head against something and force the harness off.

“It’s somewhere around 6 or 7. I get up at 9 am. I’ll let you out again before breakfast.”

A muffled, inarticulate yell followed him out of the closet, and was neatly cut off when he shut the door. He’d never left an Omega in the closet for over 12 hours on their first trip. But Eggsy was a special case and it left Charlie almost eager to see what he’d be like in the morning. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After his punishment, Eggsy is feeling a little broken and he's being given a glimpse of what his life is going to be like.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated tags, additional warnings.
> 
> (At least we're almost over the bumpiest part of the road, right?)  
> (Also, apparently, my New England is showing in a couple phrases.)

1

Charlie had said it would be over 12 hours, but in the dark silence, Eggsy quickly lost any ability to keep time. His arms hurt from being held up for so long; his wrists ached from the metal biting into his flesh; his chest hurt from being constricted; his jaw hurt from being held in place. But that wasn’t the worst of it.

It had only been a short time - an hour, maybe two - when he’d started to freak out and panic. He liked to think of himself as a bit more collected than that, but there was something about being trapped like this, having all ability to move, and to speak, taken away from him that was terrifying. And being at Charlie’s total mercy.

In the midst of his panic, he’d fought, struggling in the chains and pulling on them as if it would do anything. He had just needed to get out of the silent, still darkness. He’d cried at some point, but he couldn’t put a ‘when’ on it, nor did he have any idea of when it had started. And then he’d just… just… He didn’t have a word for it. He felt something inside him _snap_ , as if some part of him that was still solid finally gave way and broke.

By the time Charlie opened the door, Eggsy was just hanging in the chains, glowering in the dark. He hissed a breath and shut his eyes tightly. The light hurt. The fucking _light_ hurt. He didn’t look at Charlie when he walked over to him; he looked _past_ that fuck. He knew the anger would show in his eyes, the hate. He didn’t want to spend another night in there, and he suspected that if Charlie felt challenged, he’d be spending all day and tonight in it. Although he also suspected there would be more nights chained up like this in his future.

Charlie’s hand entered his field of vision, and he growled low in his throat without even thinking about it. He expected the Alpha to either slap him, or forcibly move his head and force him to look at the Alpha. Instead, he felt the straps around his head loosen. The Alpha’s touch was gentle as he removed the head harness.

Eggsy shifted his jaw back and forth a bit, trying to work the stiffness out ot it. He felt a wave gratitude toward the Alpha that made him ill. He would almost rather still be wearing the fucking thing and not feeling like that. _Almost_.

“Nothing to say?”

He shifted his gaze to Charlie and then away again.

“Thanks.” He spat the word.

It sounded as bitter as it tasted. Maybe if he didn’t feel that gratitude it wouldn’t have come out so bitterly. He was a little surprised the Alpha didn’t comment on his attitude. But he probably knew why Eggsy sounded as bitter as he did.

“I could let you out, but, hmmm. Do you think you can behave if I do?”

“Yeah.”

Charlie unbuckled the chest harness and let Eggsy get breathe freely for a few moments. He kept his touches soft and gentle. This wouldn’t be the first Omega he’d broken and he knew that punishments like this, followed by gentleness, or praise, or even gifts would quickly tear down any resistance the Omega still had. His record was a week. He didn’t think he’d break that with Eggsy, but that was fine. Eggsy was a difficult case.

Charlie knelt and unlocked Eggsy’s right ankle first. He worked at the flesh, massaging the stiff joint. He knew it was making Eggsy uncomfortable without even looking up. He could almost feel the heat of embarrassment radiating off of him. It wasn’t long before Eggsy tried to kick his ankle out of Charlie’s grasp.

“Behave,” he warned, tightening his grip on Eggsy’s ankle.

He felt the tension in the Omega’s muscles and knew Eggsy was trying to decide if he wanted to push the Alpha or give in. After a few moments, Eggsy forced his leg to go limp. Charlie released Eggsy’s other ankle and worked on it for a few minutes. He could have let Eggsy down first, but this was better. He was kneeling before someone who was bound by him, made helpless by him. They both knew who was in control. If he’d let Eggsy down first, it would have sent the wrong message to the Omega.

He stood and pressed against Eggsy, pinning the Omega to the wall with his own body. Eggsy turned his head aside, as if he could press into the wall and get away from the contact. Charlie kept him pinned as he unshackled the Omega’s wrists. Eggsy let his arms slide slowly down the wall and hang at his sides.

Charlie stepped back and let Eggsy drop to his feet. The Omega’s knees buckled but he forced his legs to hold him. He held his wrists to himself, bending over them protectively. Charlie smirked, amused at the way the Omega was trying to hide his wounds from him. As if Charlie was unaware of them; as if he couldn’t smell the blood. But if Eggsy was going to hide his wounds, then there was no reason for Charlie to offer help.

Instead, he asked: “Hungry?”

Eggsy stared at his warily for a moment. “Yeah.”

Charlie nodded toward the closet door and leg Eggsy out and to the dining room. There was a nice table and chairs set in there; it was made from teak or some other fairly light colored wood, and there was seating for six. Right now, however, only the chair at the head of the table had a place setting in front of it. With a very nice looking breakfast that made Eggsy’s stomach rumble.

He also knew why there was only one setting. This was a piece of pack protocol that he knew but Dean had never really done much with. He walked over to the chair - and Charlie was amused to see how gingerly the Omega was walking - and pulled out the chair for the Alpha. He stayed standing next to the chair once Charlie was seated. 

“Sit,” the Alpha said, motioning almost absently to one of the chairs.

“I’d rather stand.”

Charlie laughed softly. “Oh, I’m sure you would, but I said _sit_.”

Eggsy groaned but pulled out the chair and sat. He really wanted the damn plug out and the harness off. Off and never put on again. But he knew that wouldn’t be happening, and that having it on was better than if Charlie decided to take it off of him. He doubted the Alpha would be any more gentle with sex than he had been with putting the plug in.

He sat in silence while Charlie ate. He knew this was part of the ritual, another stupid fucking ritual that the Alphas loved. Omegas invited to dine with their Alpha were to sit quietly until they’re given something to eat. In Eggsy’s mind, it was just another excuse to show Omegas how powerless they were.

And he hated that he was.

The Alpha seemed to be ignoring him utterly, but Eggsy sat still and properly. He wasn’t stupid; the Alpha was watching him and scrutinizing his behavior. Charlie was half-way through his meal when he picked up a quarter of an orange and held it out to Eggsy. Eggsy took it, a little too quickly for his own liking, and bit into it, savoring the feeling of liquid in his mouth.

“I’m sure you noticed that I was keeping track of how much you mouthed off last night.”

“No, I had _no_ idea what those fucking marks were-” He stopped himself and shuddered. “Sorry.”

Charlie smirked to himself. That was a start. 

“Forgiven. _This_ time.” He paused for a moment before continuing. “You get two marks a day. Any more than that, and you spend the night in the closet again. More than four and you go immediately into the closet.”

The Alpha saw Eggsy shudder. He was pleased, very pleased, that the night had been so effective in the short term. Repeated visits would only strengthen that reaction, just as his generosity when the Omega behaved would reinforce the need to obey.

“I’m guessin’ those first two ain’t free.”

“No, they’re not. I can be quite creative when I want to be, Eggy. You’ll have to decide how much you want to find out.”

Eggsy tightened his grip on the orange, squeezing and spraying some of the juice on the table. He paid it no mind. He hated that fucking name, but was it worth getting a third of the way to the closet just to mouth off over it?

He hated more that he even thought that was about it.

Charlie watched him curiously, and when Eggsy didn’t say anything, he pushed the rest of his breakfast to the Omega. “You’ll also find that I can be generous when obeyed.”

Eggsy wanted to ignore the food, and he did for a minute. But then the need for food was more immediate of a need than fighting back and he started eating. He was hunched over the plate, one arm on the table. Charlie was half tempted to try and pull the plate away, just to see if Eggsy would snap at him. But there was no reason to push the Omega into disobeying just now. Instead, he rose and left the room, leaving the Omega to eat in peace.

2

Eggsy had been done with breakfast for some time before venturing out of the dining room. He hadn’t gotten much of a look around the condo before, and now he was going to explore it some. He was tense as he walked, hunched over a bit. He had the body language of a scared animal, which wasn’t far off from the truth.

He rounded one corner and came to a more private sitting room, and Charlie was in there. He ducked back into the hallway, and then heard the Alpha calling his name. He glared at the doorway and went through it.

Charlie was reclined on a sofa and motioned for Eggsy to join him. Eggsy, more shuffling than walking, made his way over to the sofa. He already knew what was coming; he could smell it on the Alpha. 

“Here,” he said, sitting up and motioning to the floor in front of him.

Eggsy made a sound deep in his throat but moved where he was told to.

“On your hands and knees.”

Eggsy shuddered but knelt down. He didn’t want to move the rest of the way, and nor did he want to go right back into the closet. He put one hand out, leaned on it, and settled his other hand on the floor. He heard more than felt the Alpha unlock the strap, and he shuddered as the plug was pulled unceremoniously out of him. He tensed, waiting for what he knew was coming, and then felt the Alpha’s cock at his opening and then ramming inside.

He hissed out a breath, hands balling on the floor. He’d been stretched, sure, but Charlie was wider than the plug had been. He stayed as still as he could while the Alpha fucked him. It wasn’t the first time he’d been given to someone for sex; Dean had actually spent a period of months renting him out at one point. The best idea, generally, had been to lay passively and let them do what they wanted. Because they mostly wanted something warm to fuck.

It seemed to work fine for the Alpha. He didn’t tell Eggsy to do anything or try and make him move. It felt like hours to the Omega before Charlie stiffened against him and he felt the Alpha orgasming inside of him. 

The Alpha leaned over him, just shy of laying on his back, and whispered: “Such a slick little whore. If I’d known you’d like that harness, I would have found something less comfortable for you.”

Eggsy felt the heat in his face and he had to tense himself to keep from saying or doing anything. He hadn’t liked it and he knew that fucker was aware of it. He wasn’t going to rise to the bait. _He wasn’t going to rise to the bait. He wasn’t-_

And then the Alpha was off of his back and ramming the plug back where it had been.

“You’ll have to be trained to be more reactive, but otherwise, I suppose you’ll do.”

Charlie locked the harness and Eggsy whined softly. He hurt from being so rudely used. He wanted the fucking thing out of him. Most of all, he didn’t want Charlie’s scent locked in him. He _wanted_ to go shower and wash it out of him. He didn’t bother asking, though. He knew Charlie would know _why_ he wanted that shower and refuse it.

3

He’d been left alone to explore the confines of his prison, because the condo wouldn’t be anything else to him ever. He hadn’t found his clothing anywhere, nor had he found anything else he could wear. He assumed that meant Charlie wanted him to parade around the condo naked. Charlie would hardly be the first Alpha to demand his Omega wear nothing.

He found something he wanted just a bit more than clothing, too. He found a small bedroom that had only a bed and a foot locker in it. He didn’t care that it was all he was being allowed to have. He’d sunk onto the bed and slept.

He wasn’t even certain how long he’d been allowed to sleep. He was stiff and sore when he woke, and as he tried to work that stiffness out of his muscles, he noticed that his clothing had been returned. It was folded and had been left on his foot locker in a pile. From the smell of them, they’d been washed.

_‘At least he takes care of his_ things,’ Eggsy thought sourly.

He pulled his trousers on, not bothering with the pants. With the belt he was locked into, he doubted they’d stay in place. He picked up his shirt, and then dropped it again with a shrug. His role as an Omega in this house had been quickly, and painfully, defined. He was going to be a fucktoy, and that was it. The best he could really hope for at this point, he figured, was that he got pregnant in short order and could be sent off to the other Omegas for a year.

He made his way out to the common room without seeing Charlie. He wandered the condo, actively looking for the fucker. But he was nowhere to be found. Eggsy immediately bolted for the door, only to find it locked. He wasn’t surprised but he’d had to try. Charlie had, apparently, expected Eggsy to try to bolt; there was a note taped to the door.

The note said that Charlie had gone to talk to Dean, and that made Eggsy nervous. There was really no _good_ outcome for him, although he’d already accepted that Charlie was going to claim him. There were things the Alpha wanted done before he returned, but he hadn’t left a time to expect him, or what time he’d left.

There was a list of some simple cleaning. Eggsy rolled his eyes at the list. From what he’d seen, the place was already good. He’d just wipe down some things and move a few things around. He figured that would be passable enough and that Charlie was just giving him something to check up on him for. Easy. He was also two have two drinks ready for Charlie’s return, with instructions on how he was to serve them.

He gave the instructions a sour look. On the heels of the look came the thought: _Okay, but is fucking that up on purpose worth the risk?_

He lowered the paper and stared blankly at the wall for a moment. He didn’t want to admit it, not even to himself. But after the previous night, he was _afraid_ of Charlie. He’d been scared of Dean, sure, but only to a point. He’d known his way around Dean. He knew how far he could push the Beta, how to mollify him, and what to expect if he couldn’t.

And Dean had never chained him up in a closet overnight, and then told him he’d end up there again if he wasn’t almost perfect.

He’d been three marks over Charlie’s limit the night before. If he’d been more over, what then? Would Charlie have left him there for days? Coming in only as needed to give Eggsy food and water? With the drain in the floor, he could theoretically be left there long term. And he did _not_ want to find out what would land him there. Ever.

He sighed and looked back at the paper, frowning at the last part of it.

_From now on, if I’m not home and you’ve completed the tasks I’ve given you, you will kneel beside my chair until I return home. If I am home, you will ask me, politely, what more you can do for me. If there is nothing more and I have not given you permission to do otherwise, you will kneel at my feet until otherwise commanded._

_‘Yeah’, ‘sure’, and ‘okay’ are no longer allowed in your vocabulary._

“Yeah, sure, okay, and fuck you, you prick.”

He looked around furtively after saying it. It felt good to say, even if it was only to the paper, but he’d become almost certain that Charlie was listening somehow. He found himself wondering if each word would be a seperate mark, or if it would be one mark. Because that could be four marks all at once, and he’d be back in the closet.

He shuddered, his breath coming shallowly as he slowly accepted that Charlie was not going to come over some hidden speaker and scold him. He leaned his head against the door, feeling the cool wood against his forehead as he calmed himself. This was Hell, he was almost sure of it.

Once he’d gotten himself under control, he went over to the wet bar and stared at it for a few minutes. He wasn’t sure how long he’d actually been standing there; everything had gotten a little hazy. This sort of thing had happened a few times before, usually after being lent out to someone with more sadistic tastes, but never the way it was happening today. 

He picked through the bottles on the wet bar and found a bottle of gin. He poured himself a couple fingers’ worth and drank it down. It burned, but oh, it felt so good all the same. He poured more in the glass, not bothering to measure it this time, and drank that at a draught. He picked up the bottle to fill the glass again, and then forced himself to put it back where he’d gotten it from and went to wash the glass. Because otherwise, he was going to drink until he couldn’t anymore.

‘ _Look how well I can obey.’_ The thought brought a half-sob, half-giggle.

He dried the glass and put it back on the wet bar. And then stared at the door. He went over to it and stared at the lock panel. That was all that was keeping him trapped in the condo. A stupid lock that he couldn’t even make work unless Charlie had him added to the program. He reached out and tried the doorknob, even though he’d already tried it and even though he knew that it wouldn’t open.

But this time, trying the door this time hit something inside of him, some very frayed nerve. He tried it again, turning it much harder this time. As if he could force it to submit to him. He started banging on the door, first with his right hand and then with both. He wasn’t trying to get someone’s attention; he just wanted to hurt the door. To make it suffer the way it was making him suffer. Very vaguely, in the back of his mind, he realized he was reacting to it the way Dean had always reacted to him when he’d Fucked Up Good

But unlike Dean, after his fit passed, he wasn’t still angry. He leaned against the wall and slid to the floor. He didn’t cry, but it was a close fucking thing. He might have if he hadn’t spent so long hiding his feelings. He’d learned not to cry at a young age. But this, knowing that this was his future, nearly broke all of his self-made walls.

There was a part of him that Dean had never been able to break. No matter who Dean sent Eggsy to, no matter how many beatings he got, Dean had never been able to break this part of him. But now it _was_ breaking; he could feel it slowly shattering. He’d always been proud of the fact that he’d never broken, that he’d never become like some of the Omegas he’d known. The ones with the hollow looking eyes who just obeyed orders and never seemed to feel anything; the ones who seemed to be more dead than alive. He didn’t want to become that. But he could see it in his future, and he would have given anything to change that.

After he calmed down, he pulled himself up to his feet and forced himself to go through the condo and look for things to clean. There wasn’t much, and he mostly spent his time moving things here and there. A picture a little to the left, a stack of movies a little bit back. He just wanted it to look like he’d been doing what he’d been told to. Once he’d done a circuit of the condo, he went back to the wet bar and mixed the drinks.

He went to set it down on the wet bar and then paused. What if he spit in it? Would Charlie even notice? What if he did? Would that count as one transgression, or two, or three? He shuddered and just set the mixer on the wet bar. It wasn’t worth the risk.

Once he’d taken care of that, he went back to where Charlie’s chair was and just looked at it. He could get away with two things a day. Two little things. He had to hold onto that and do it, every day, so he didn’t break entirely. So some piece of that part of him would still hold. But would not kneeling in wait count as more than two things? He thought about it for a bit and decided that no, it couldn’t possibly count as more than two things.

He took a few breaths and then sat in Charlie’s chair. It was a nicely comfortable chair, even if it made him feel smaller than he was. He leaned back in it, folding his hands behind his head. After a few minutes he threw his leg over the arm of the chair and just relaxed. And waited. 

4

He didn’t have to wait long. It had barely been half an hour when he heard the lock open. He settled in more fully, making sure he looked as insolent as he could when the door opened. Charlie came in first, Dean just behind him. Dean stopped short when he saw Eggsy lolling in the Alpha’s chair. Charlie, on the other hand, didn’t even react to it. Eggsy rolled his eyes. Obviously Charlie had been expecting something like this. He figured that must be a good thing; if the Alpha had been expecting it, then he wasn’t going to be punished for it.

“Get us a drink, Eggy.”

“Yep. Alrighty. Coming right up.” He flashed a shit-eating grin at Charlie before getting up to pour the drinks. If Charlie had been expecting this, well then he might as well live it up until he got a mark. He had to find a way to stay sane, after all.

He put ice in the two glasses and filled them from the mixer. Charlie took a seat in his chair and Dean took a spot on the sofa. He brought Dean his drink and handed it to him. It seemed strange to Eggsy that Charlie’s instructions had said to serve Dean first. He would have thought the Alpha would have wanted his new Omega to serve _him_ first.

He went back to the wet bar and gave the instructions a final look over. This he knew he had to get right. This was a show for Dean, he realized that. He brought Charlie’s drink over to him. He put one hand behind his back and bowed, balancing the glass on the palm of his hand. Charlie took it and, as Eggsy straightened up, the Alpha picked up the pen and tapped it against the pad of scratch paper. 

Eggsy froze, his eyes on the pen. Charlie hadn’t made a mark, not yet. A somewhat helpless look at Charlie’s face told him that it was a warning, and that the Alpha wanted something. Eggsy’s mind raced as he tried to figure out what Charlie wanted. The instructions said he was to serve the drinks, and in this fancy showy way. That was all he’d been told to do.

His eyes widened as he realized what he was being prompted for. “What else may I do for you?”

The words came out in a rush. He could hear the near panic in his voice, the fear of angering the Alpha. And he hated himself for it. But he knew immediately that he’d done what he was being prompted to do, because Charlie set the pen down without making a mark.

“Nothing for now.”

Eggsy frowned slightly, and then knelt at Charlie’s feet. He hated these rules already (but it was only a few rules, right?). He hated them all the more when he heard Dean’s disbelieving laugh.

“Fuck me, I’ve seen it all now. I admit, I ‘idn’t believe a word of it when you said he’d be kneeling just as pretty as he is.”

Eggsy shot Charlie a hate-filled look. He saw the entire reason for this showing of his control and he wished that he _had_ refused to kneel. Or at least spat in the fucking drinks. Even if it would have guaranteed him a spot in the closet.

Charlie didn’t say a word about the look. He just smirked, as if Dean had amused him and Eggsy wasn’t glaring daggers up at him.

“Willful Omegas like this one should _always_ be left in the expert hands of an Alpha. You Betas simply don’t have the presence that we do. I daresay within six months, he’ll be as obedient as any of them.”

Dean shook his head. “I’d really like to see that. Are we making this all official then?”

Charlie nodded and Eggsy tensed as he heard Dean get up from the sofa. The Beta lifted the medallion on the chain around Eggsy’s neck and slid it up to the clasp. He opened the clasp, slipped the medallion off, and closed the clasp again.

Despite the chain never leaving his neck, Eggsy felt naked in a way that he hadn’t ever before. His fingers dug into his thighs, bunching his trousers as tightly as he could. As with most Omegas, the thought of not having someone’s name on them was a terrifying thought. It was their only protection from others. He hated knowing that he would feel a surge of relief when Charlie’s own medallion was on his chain. 

For his part, Charlie was still sitting in the chair. He dug a packet out of his pocket and unwrapped the medallion inside. It looked identical to the one Dean had just taken off of Eggsy, save for Charlie’s name on the bottom. He sat there, a cold and calculating look in his eyes.

“Dean has taken back his claim on you, Eggy. You are unowned, unclaimed. I could turn you out of here right now and you would have no protection. From anyone. I doubt you realize this, but there _are_ those in the clan whose tastes exceed my own. And even if you managed to get out of the pack’s territory, the people who’d catch you would see you utterly broken before selling you to the highest bidder.”

Eggsy’s knuckles turned white from his grip. He could feel himself starting to panic, and hear it in the shallowness of his breath. Maybe he shouldn’t have been in the chair, maybe he shouldn’t have smarted off, maybe-

“Unless you _want_ me to claim you.” Charlie smirked and leaned forward, breathing in the scent of Eggsy’s fear. “Do you _want_ that? My protection and all that it entails? To be used by me as I see fit, whether that means I want to beat you, or fuck you, or whatever else?”

Eggsy didn’t answer him. He didn’t want to have to say that. He knew Charlie was just fucking with him, but he also knew the Alpha would hold that over him, that he would use it against him any way and every way he could.

“Well, if you’d rather be turned out…” he said as he started to get up.

“No!”

“Then say it.” Charlie’s voice was a self-satisfied purr.

“I. I want. You. To. To claim me.” The words tasted like bile in his mouth.

“And?” he prompted.

“And what?”

Charlie just smirked at him. Eggsy, realizing what Charlie wanted, lowered his head and closed his eyes. _Fuck_.

“I want your protection, and everything that it means. I want-” he stopped, his voice trembling. He refused to cry in front of this shit heap. “I want to be used by you. I want you to beat me, and fuck me, and anything else you want.”

Charlie took the chain and unclasped it. He was delighted in how afraid of his threats the Omega was. It was a good start to breaking him completely. He slipped his medallion onto the chain and clasped it.

“Then you’ll have what you asked for.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's always a straw that breaks the camel's back, right?
> 
> Eggsy has found his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long. Hope it's worth the wait. And hopefully the next one won't be in months XD

1

_Eggsy came to slowly. He was sore all over, and freezing. And the world was swaying._

_“Whafuck?”_

_He opened his eyes, rubbed them, blinked a few times, and then closed them again._

_“It’s the drugs. It’ll wear off in a day or so.”_

_Quiet voice. Quiet unfamiliar voice. The room he was in reeked of piss and shit, and so the scent of the speaker was lost to him. But his head was clearing, at least a little. He didn’t know where he was specifically, but he knew where he was._

_He started trembling._

2

It had been weeks since Eggsy had gotten what he ‘wanted’. So far, he’d only spent two more nights in the closet; something he considered to be a small miracle. Especially given that Charlie had come up with more rules for him to live by. At least the fuck was letting him adjust to them bit by bit. There was that.

Some of his rules hadn’t been too difficult to adapt to. He had to call Charlie ‘sir’ now, and answer him with ‘yes, sir’ or ‘no, sir’ unless he was told to speak more. That hadn’t been too different from what most of them expected. The Alpha had been letting him out of the condo, as long as the Alpha was with him. Eggsy was expected to stay two steps behind and to the right of Charlie, unless there was a closed door. Then, and only then, was Eggsy to come around him and open it for him. Again, not something too different from what he’d lived with all along.

Others had been difficult. He was to keep his eyes lowered at all times. That one had taken a night in the closet before he’d overcome his own pride. He hated himself a little more every time he realized he was afraid to disobey and look up now. But it was better to just do it, to not spend a night in that closet for looking.

Then the Alpha outlawed half of his vocabulary. Well, maybe not that much, but it felt like it to Eggsy. All informal words and phrases, swear, and the word ‘no’ - except in certain circumstances - were all forbidden to him. A single use was a mark, and god forbid he dropped a ‘g’ or something similar.

He had to wait on Charlie when they were out, which wasn’t unexpected, but he had to be as unobtrusive as possible, and fuck if _that_ wasn’t hard to figure out. But the Alpha was being forgiving in that aspect and he was, well, grateful for that.

His hopes of getting pregnant and being sent away for a year had been dashed in less than a week. He’d been taken to the aid station and given some injection into his arm to prevent it. He wasn’t shocked, no really, but it was still upsetting. That was just one more exit, one more grasp at freedom, which had been denied him.

He had been steadily giving up, steadily breaking. Charlie had been striping him of his ability to rebel without outright breaking the rules. He had also stopped forgiving most things, and there had been a number of days where he’d tried to be perfect and still come away with two marks. But in his _graciousness_ , he didn’t punish Eggsy for them.

But there’s always a straw that breaks the camel’s back. And Eggsy’s came less than two months after being claimed. 

3

Charlie called Eggsy into his room. This was a ritual Eggsy had gotten somewhat accustomed to. He walked into the room and stripped, folding his clothing and laying it on a side table. It was where Charlie demanded they were to go, so there they went.

He stood still as the Alpha unlocked the harness and waited. Waited for the order of how to lay. He’d learned to be more reactive, not much, but some. He bucked his hips in time with Charlie’s less-than-gentle fucking, but that was about it.

“On your back, I think.”

Eggsy hated being on his back. He hated having to look up at the Alpha. But he did as he was commanded and waited, legs spread. The Alpha knelt between his legs and lay over him, but then stopped, smirking.

“I have one new rule for you.”

Eggsy fought the urge to roll his eyes. It was one thing when the fuck couldn’t see his face; it was another, dangerous, thing to do where he could see. “Yes, sir, what is the new rule?”

“When we fuck, you’re going to ask for it.”

Eggsy pushed up a bit, the anger and shock clear on his face. “Excuse me?”

“You’re going to ask me to fuck you. Failure to do so will be an automatic trip to the closet.”

Eggsy stared at him, mouth agape. His brain wasn’t allowing him to accept what Charlie had just demanded.

“Do you object?”

“Yes, I absolutely fu-” He stopped himself, and oh, it was a hard thing. He forced himself to take a slow, deep breath and continued. “Yes, I object. Sir.”

Charlie shrugged. “Too bad. You can either ask for it or pay for it. Which do you prefer?”

Eggsy lay back, turning his head away from the fuck. He could feel the heat in his cheeks. He closed his eyes, fighting to not cry and he could feel himself trembling. This was a little more than he could take. He could feel the Alpha’s impatient stare and knew he was close to just being dragged to the closet.

“Please,” he started with a shaky voice. “Please fuck me.”

Charlie let out a low chuckle and did as he was ‘asked’. Eggsy realized, in that moment, that he’d rather risk potentially being caught by someone worse than Charlie than stay here and remain Charlie’s Omega. No one could be worse than this. Could they?

3

_Daylight. Everything was still mostly a blur, but it was a blur with more substance. He was cold because he was in something… not quite for living. Maybe a barn or something? He could see cracks of light coming in through the walls and ceilings. Between that and the barest of clothing, he understood why he was cold. The world was swaying because he was laying on the floor of a suspended cage._

_Oh, it had gone so wrong somewhere. So, so wrong._

_“Where am I?”_

_“Chauncey territory.”_

4

It took him some time to figure out a plan. He was smaller than Charlie, and weaker. And there was no way out unless he could get the door unlocked. But he did come up with a plan. It took several more weeks before he could even start enacting it. He had to prove to Charlie that he was sufficiently broken. And that meant adhering to all of the rules with proper submission. All of them.

That was a tall fucking order. But if he could pull it off. _If_. 

So he started following all the rules. He kept his gaze lowered and knelt at Charlie’s feet when he had to. He made sure to speak only as he was allowed to, and even managed to get through asking to be fucked every time. And every time he had to ask, it just fueled his hate all the more.

Charlie found it odd at first that Eggsy was submitting so well. But after he’d gone two weeks without finding a reason to lock him away overnight, he decided that Eggsy was either faking it very well or that he was well and truly broken. Clearly, a test was in order.

“Eggy.”

“Yes, sir?” He kept his voice soft and hollow sounding. He didn’t even look up from where he was kneeling.

Charlie held out an envelope. “Go deliver this. Building A, room 10. And no matter what the occupant asks, you are not to obey them.”

Eggsy nodded. “Yes, sir.”

Charlie unlocked the door and let him out. Eggsy thought about bolting, and he could feel his legs twitching with his desire to run, but he wanted the keys to the harness before he did that. And he knew that Charlie was likely calling A-10 and letting them know to expect him. He wouldn’t get far if he bolted now.

So instead, he went directly up to A-10. He knocked and then lowered his gaze. But when the door opened, he felt his stomach drop and he started shaking. Poppy had answered.

“Well, well, well, and what do you want?”

He held up the envelope without a word. She took it, opened it, and read the letter inside.

“You know something. You’re going to come inside. It’s been ages since I marked you, and I’d hate for them to get lonely.”

He closed his eyes, trying to not give in to the fear he felt. Her scent was overpowering, even if he felt no desire to submit to her. He forced himself to take a step back.

“I apologize, but sir will not allow me to come inside.”

She frowned and Eggsy could _smell_ the shift in her mood. “If you don’t come inside right now, I’m going to follow you home. And when I tell your _master_ how you disobeyed...”

Eggsy bowed his head. “Then please follow me.”

Every step he took with her behind him was more difficult than the last. The letter must have been an invitation for her to use him. Oh, he was so fucked. The clan-mother was not to be disobeyed, not even by other Alphas. But at least his submission to Charlie over the clan-mother ought to cement how broken he was to Charlie.

He opened the door to the condo and stood aside to let her in. She stormed past him and he followed. He went to his assigned place and knelt. He was shaking all over, and that much, at least, was not an act.

“He refused.”

Charlie sat forward, clearly surprised. “He actually…?”

“You’re not angry?”

Charlie shook his head. He reached out and ran a hand through Eggsy’s hair. “I told him to. I wanted to see if he would obey me over you.”

Poppy looked shocked, and then angry, and then curious, and then smirked. “You _broke_ him? I’m so proud of you.”

Charlie shrugged. “It wasn’t hard.”

“Well, then I suppose I can forgo demanding he be turned over to me for a few days.”

“Eggy, go and do something you’d like to do.” His voice was soft and pleased.

Eggsy felt a shiver of gratitude go through him, and he hated it. Eggsy nodded and stood. “Yes, sir.”

He went down to his room (really, what was there for him _to_ do in his little prison?) and grinned to himself. He’d managed to convince him. Somehow, he’d managed it. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, he wanted to laugh.

5

Now he had to be patient, oh so patient. It was almost as difficult as refusing the clan-mother. He’d been certain he was going to be tortured for that. But he’d proved he was broken. He could be patient. He could.

Charlie began sending him on little errands. Eggsy always returned promptly. After awhile, he got the impression that Charlie had stopped calling ahead to let them know Eggsy was on the way. He, of course, needed to test this.

“Sir?”

“Hm?” The sound was distracted, unconcerned. 

“I’m feeling very ill. May I go to the aid station?”

Charlie eyed him for a moment and then shrugged. “Be quick about it.”

“Yes, sir.”

Charlie unlocked the door for him and he went there directly. He knocked on the open door before entering. And could tell that the nurse on duty was surprised to see him. He could only hope that she wouldn’t call Charlie.

“I’m sorry to bother you.”

“It’s no bother.” She gave him a cursory look over. “You don’t look like you’re bleeding.”

“I’m not. I’m having… other trouble. I have an Alpha now, did you know?”

She shook her head, but smiled. “I’m so happy for you.”

“Thank you. But living with him is strange and I’m not sleeping well. Could you give me something for it? I’ve been too embarrassed to admit it to him, and he’s getting fed up with how tired I am all the time.”

She nodded. “Oh, this happens all the time with Omegas who’ve only had one caretaker all their lives. You get confused and scared because of all the new surroundings and new expectations. It’s no wonder you’re not sleeping.” She reached over and gave Eggsy’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. “It’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”

She unlocked the cabinet and brought out a bottle of pills. “Now, only one a night. I know the package says two, but that’s for Beta-sized people. It’ll help you sleep and he won’t even know. In a few weeks, you should be fine.”

He gave her a grateful smile. He actually was grateful; it wasn’t just for show. Because if this was something normal and expected, she wouldn’t rat him out. He headed back, pausing in the stairwell only long enough to slip the bottle into his pants. So long as Charlie didn’t try to fuck him, he’d be good.

He managed to not look proud of himself when he got back.

“May I go to bed, sir?”

Charlie nodded.

“Thank you, sir.”

Eggsy waited until he was in his room before pulling the pills out. He shoved them under his mattress. The next step would have to wait, but he was closer. As long as he didn’t get caught.

6

His next opportunity came only a few days later. Charlie had to leave to take care of some business for Poppy. He was given a few tasks to do, and then told he could relax. He got his tasks done, just in case, and then nicked a knife and a tea saucer from the kitchen. He pulled a sheet of paper off of Charlie’s pad and went back into his room.

Listening for any sound, he crushed the pills. Every few pills, he dumped the powder onto the paper. He crushed the entire bottle. He had no idea if it would kill Charlie or just knock him out; he didn’t really care, either. 

He brought the powder out to the common room and dumped a portion of it into the mixer. He added alcohol and shook it. When he looked in again, the powder had nicely dissolved into the alcohol. He folded the paper around the remaining powder and hid it in his room. Now to just wait and hope like Hell he’d put enough in to knock the Alpha out. 

When Charlie returned, Eggsy met him in the common room. He knelt as he was expected to.

“Sir?”

“Yes?”

“I would like to do something for you, if I may.”

Charlie raised his brow. That was an interesting change.

“And just what do you want to do for me?”

“First, I would like to make you a drink. And then I would like to talk.”

Charlie laughed. Talk. What would his little slave have to talk to him about. “Very well.”

Eggsy went to the wet bar and shook the mixer. He poured it into a glass and the liquid was a little cloudy but otherwise fine looking. He just hoped the alcohol would cover the taste. Eggsy brought it over to him and then knelt before him.

Charlie took a drink, eyed it for a second. Something tasted off about it, although it wasn’t unpleasant. What, oh what, had his little slave done? But assured of Eggsy being broken, he settled back in his chair. “Now, you wanted to talk.”

“Yes, sir. Although I don’t know how to put it. May I ask for patience?”

Charlie was more than a little surprised. “Very well.”

“Thank you, sir.” Eggsy was quite a moment, pretending to gather his thoughts while Charlie nursed the drink. “I think I understand now what other Omegas mean when they talk about the drive to submit.”

He could tell that he’d gotten the Alpha’s attention with that. 

“So that’s what turned you around recently, hm?”

“I believe so, yes.”

Charlie smirked to himself. 

“I’ve come to realize how much I really do want this.”

Charlie chuckled, draining the rest of his drink. “And what made you realize this?”

“With your latest rule, when you made me start asking you for it.”

Charlie shook his head a little. He’d been hoping that would break Eggsy entirely. The fact that the Omega had convinced himself that this was what submission felt like and what the drive for it felt like amused him to no end. 

“Ask me for it now.”

Eggsy smiled demurely. “Shall we go back into your room first, sir?”

Charlie stood, and immediately sat back down. He rubbed his forehead, looking uncertain. 

“Do you feel unwell?”

“I’m tired, and dizzy.”

Eggsy smiled again; this time it was anything but demure or happy. But he still spoke in the soft, submissive tone he’d been using. “It must be all those sedatives I crushed up.”

Charlie stood again and took a step toward Eggsy, snarling. “I’m going to lock you in that closet for a month.”

Eggsy darted back from him. He was afraid, yes, because Charlie would make good on that threat if he had the chance. Charlie closed on him, but collapsed to his knees.

“You fucking… shit.”

And with that, he collapsed. Eggsy stared at him with sudden horror. Because if he couldn’t get out of the clan’s territory, he was absolutely fucked. He grabbed Charlie by the arm and started dragging him to the door. Once he got Charlie there, he put the unconscious Alpha’s hand to the lock and heard the lock disengage. He was about to run for it when a new thought struck him. He grabbed Charlie under the arms and started dragging him.

7

It took him the better part of a half an hour to get the heavier Alpha over to and into the closet. He dragged him all the way in and then paused. There was no way he could hang Charlie from the shackles, so he had to settle for putting the ankle shackles on him. He went through every pocket the Alpha had to find the key to his harness. Once he found it, off came the trousers and he unlocked it and removed it.

He pulled his trousers back on and left, shutting Charlie inside of the closet. The most nerve-wracking part of the entire plan was slipping off grounds. He was nearly caught twice, but he just headed in the direction of the Omegas’ area. From there it was down two flights of stairs, a left, a right, and then run for it.

He didn’t stop running until he collapsed. He looked back and couldn’t see the condominiums. He reached into his shirt and pulled out the medallion and pulled it over his head. He threw it into the gutter. 

There was no going back, and he would have to hope that he could get by somehow. But he was free of Charlie, free of Dean, free of Poppy. Whatever happened, it would be worth it.

8

_He held onto that thought, that it had to be worth it. He didn’t remember being caught, or even being seen. Maybe they’d found him when he’d stopped to sleep for a few hours. Either way, he’d been caught by a clan known for their viciousness, and known to trade in runaways._

_“How true are the stories?”_

_“Completely.”_

_He shuddered._

_It wasn’t the prospect of being sold. It wasn’t the prospect of the selling process. Of being poked and prodded, of having his teeth looked at, his hands, his scars. Of having random people groping him, or pushing a few fingers inside of him, or the ones who paid for a full ‘demonstration’._

_It was the prospect of not being sold. Of being kept by them. Runaways had no status. No protection. Nothing. Runaways taken by the Chauncey clan were said to rarely survive two months._

_As the doors of the most-like-a-barn were pulled open, Eggsy just hoped that someone would want to buy a well marked Omega. He was cute enough, right?_

_Right?_

_Fuck._


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eggsy ran away, got caught. And sold.

1

It had been four days. No new Omegas had been brought in, but most of the cages were empty now. Eggsy was cold, all the way to his bones, and he’d been coughing. It wasn’t exactly ‘sleep outside’ weather to begin with.

The barn doors were pulled open and the one he assumed was the clan-mother led in two older people. From their posture, they had to be clan-heads. From their dress, they were from a rich clan. The male of the pair took out a handkerchief and covered his nose and mouth.

Eggsy didn’t blame him.

They were led around to each cage where they would look the Omega over before exchanging a look and moving on to the next. They came to Eggsy’s cage and he watched them, his expression a mix of curiosity and wary suspicion. But then they left without a word.

Not much time had passed when the clan-mother returned, this time with a pair of burly Betas, and one of the cages was opened and the Omega was brought out. They left and Eggsy shrugged. It’s not like they’d given any indication of what they’d been looking for. But the clan-mother came back only a short time later and pulled a second Omega out. They returned a third time and opened Eggsy’s cage.

They grabbed Eggsy by his arms and hauled him out of the cage, and he didn’t resist. They walked him to a small side building and brought him inside. The bright lights hurt his eyes, but he could smell what the room was. He forced his eyes open, mostly to confirm what he was seeing.

The small building was a shower house.

“Alright,” one of the Betas yelled, “you’re going to shower. You’re going to scrub yourselves clean. There’s clean clothing in the lockers. You have fifteen minutes, and if you aren’t clean enough when we inspect you, you’ll learn first-hand how we got our reputation.”

Eggsy stripped and went over to a showerhead. He turned the water on and let out a yelp of surprise when the water was _hot_. Like steaming, almost scalding levels of hot. Eggsy had backed out of the water without even thinking and cast a look at the Betas. They weren’t paying any obvious attention; that was good.

He got back under the water and started scrubbing. Once he adjusted to the water, it actually felt really good. He felt himself starting to warm up and some of the chill leave him. He wanted to linger under the water, but he had no idea how much of the fifteen minutes had gone by.

He shut the water off and shook himself off like a pup before grabbing a towel and drying himself off as he walked over to the lockers. The shower house was full of steam. He wanted to stay in this lovely, lovely heat for more than fifteen minutes.

Eggsy opened one of the lockers and raised his brows at what was inside. A pair of black dress slacks, a black suit coat, a white button down shirt, a clip-on tie (thank _fuck_ for that), dress shoes, and a pair of white gloves. It took a second for it all to click home. They wanted a servant. _A servant_! Not a mate. Not a toy. Just a servant. 

He was just clipping the tie on when the Betas called time for them. He walked over to them, pulling the gloves on as he did so. The Betas looked the three Omegas over and then herded them to the actual clan-house. Eggsy unconsciously shrank back when they were led inside. He could smell fear and blood. Every instinct said to bolt, and the only thing that held him in place was his lifelong training to not run from punishment.

Oh, but he wanted to. He _wanted_ to.

They were led into a sitting room where the older couple were. They looked the three Omegas over and nodded to the Betas, who left them alone. Eggsy eyed the other two Omegas. He knew he could fake being submissive when needed. Could the other two out-fake him?

“Are all three of you runaway Omegas?” the woman asked. She had an accent that Eggsy couldn’t place. Not that he’d had much contact with outsiders.

The first two shook their heads. Eggsy grimaced; this was going to be a mark against him for sure. He could lie to them, but it wasn’t like they couldn’t ask the clan-mother if he’d been lying.

“I am, ma'am.” He made a serious effort to sound, well, anything but proud of himself for escaping that fuck.

“And why did you run?”

Eggsy didn’t answer for a moment. “I’d been given to an Alpha. I decided I’d rather take my chances as a runaway than… well…” He shrugged. He didn’t want to explain what had been happening, and not solely out of shame. He knew he wasn’t supposed to complain about what his Alpha did to him.

The couple exchanged a look and then nodded. Eggsy was certain they were going to call the Betas to take him back.

Instead, the woman took out her phone, called someone, and simply said, “You may join us now.”

The door opened and another female joined them. She was bigger than Eggsy, but still small for an Alpha. She wore heels to give herself a few more inches, and had her hair neatly pinned up to give her a little more height. She was dressed nicely, but not as richly as the older two. She positively exuded confidence and grace as she walked a slow circle around the three of them. She stopped in front of Eggsy.

“I think I like this one the best.”

Eggsy looked at the other two Omegas. They were both smaller than he was. They would make her look bigger by comparison. Why look at him?

“Tilde,” the male said, somehow sounding both annoyed and indulgent, “ _That_ is a runaway.”

She laughed and waved a hand dismissively. “Black market Omegas are almost _always_ runaways, Papa. I like how he looks.”

Her father didn’t look convinced. 

“He looks good in a suit.” She looked Eggsy up and down, slowly; her expression clearly that she thought he might look just as good _out_ of it, too. “This is the one I want.”

2

“-and this is your room.”

Eggsy followed her through the door. The room was huge. Well, maybe not _huge_ , but it was at least as big as Charlie’s room had been. And it was full of nice looking furniture. Like something that she should have, not him.

 _Oh_.

He chided himself for being surprised by that. So she wanted him in her bed every night. That was fine. Nothing he’d seen so far had suggested that she was like Charlie. Not that he’d seen many others in the clan-house yet. And there was something about her, about her scent, that was very…

Very…

“Hel _lo_? Tilde to Eggsy, come in please?”

Eggsy realized he’d been staring at her, his head cocked to one side. “Sorry, I. Guess I wasn’t payin’ attention.” He flinched. “Payin _g_ attention.”

She chuckled. “I asked if you had questions.”

He shook his head. “No, ma’am.”

“Tilde.”

He nodded slightly but couldn’t make himself repeat her name. “I’ll remember that for the future.”

“I’m sure you don’t want to be dressed as if you were Papa’s houseman. There’re some changes of clothes in the closet.” She saw him pale and paused. She didn’t want to know what had been done to cause that reaction. “And, um, I’ll leave you to it then? Wear whatever you like from in there. Feel free to look around. If you haven’t come down to the main room by dinner, I’ll come find you.”

He nodded and watched her leave. He counted to ten, slowly, and then crept to the door and locked it. The lock was a really simple one, one he could do or undo as he liked. He wasn’t sure if he should feel relieved or terrified. Everything had been strange thus far. Even his new master. She had started out as the oddest part of it all.

On the drive back, which had been the longest of his life, she’d made small talk with him at times. It hadn’t been anything major, just asking him what he’d liked and things like that. She’d even asked him for his name. He’d pointed out that she hadn’t given him one and she had just _smiled_ in this odd little way and asked him what name he wanted to be called. 

He backed away from the room door and looked at the closet door. He could feel his heart hammering and he wanted to do anything _but_ go and look inside. He took the suit jacket and tie off, still not moving.

“Fuck,” he whispered.

He took a few slow steps toward the dreaded door, listening for steps in the hallway, as if she was planning on bursting back in and trapping him in the closet. He touched the doorknob as if it would burn his hand, threw the door open, and backed off, eyes on the still-locked door.

“I’m bein’ fuckin’ stupid.”

He could say that, but it didn’t make the fear leave. He forced himself to go back to the closet door and turn the light on. Inside… was a bunch of clothes on hangers. A shelf went around the closet, although it was a bit high for him. Rods followed under the shelves. There was a moveable panel in the back. Moving it had been harder than opening the door had been, but he laughed when he saw that it was just an electric access panel. He wasn’t certain if he was laughing at himself… or for the joy of knowing there wasn’t a closet from Hell in the room he’d be sleeping in.

The clothes were all simple, but looking through them gave him pause. They were all, well, _normal_. More like something a caretaker would have an Omega wear and not the master of that Omega. He picked a pair of blue jeans and a grey polo shirt with blue, black, and white striping. It looked neat enough, he figured, and he sort of liked how it looked.

3

'Feel free to look around', she'd told him. Eggsy wasn't sure if she meant 'look around the _house’_ or ‘look around the _room'_. The room seemed like the safer bet and he cast a glance at the bedside clock. 16:47. He figured that gave him just over an hour, at the least. So yes, that had to be what she meant. He turned in place slowly, sort of looking around before looking around. 

The coverlet and pillows on the bed were a sort of dusky red with gold patterning on it. The bed, itself, had a fancy looking headboard and footboard, and it was a dark, almost red color. Eggsy was neither surprised nor happy that it was a poster bed, even if the posts were short; if she wanted to tie him up, that was sort of her prerogative. So far, it didn't seem like his life would be all that bad here. The curtains matched; they were the same dusky red, but the gold pattern was only on the edge and the tiebacks were gold. The carpet was off-white, however, and that didn't bode well. What if he bled on it? Moreover, what if he couldn't get the bloodstain _out_?

He shuddered and closed his eyes, slowly counting to ten in an attempt to calm himself. He stopped shuddering, at least. It was really the best he could hope for. He wasn't really certain where the fear was coming from. Sure, this was a completely new place, with new rules and new punishments. And an Alpha male who didn't want him here. And a master - while beautiful - whose proclivities were an unknown factor.

He opened his eyes, the answer dawning on him. The nurse had told him that this happened to Omegas. He'd really thought she'd just been patronizing him. He _was_ smarter than they gave him credit for, but he doubted any of the Omegas really missed the tone, the look, the words. They just... They were more able to accept it. He'd been told, and often, that he was just too wild, too defiant, that he'd end up like his dead mother if he didn't learn. Maybe he'd inherited it from her. Maybe she'd been something akin to feral.

He shook the thoughts off and went back to looking around the room. There was a chest of drawers sat catty-corner against the wall. It had a nice sized tv on it and the wood matched the bed. He'd really expect no less from the daughter of rich-looking Alphas.

He stared at the chest for several minutes. She didn't have clothes in the closet. That in and of itself wasn't unusual; the fact that she'd given him the walk-in closet and had opted for the chest _was_. Curiosity got the better of him and he opened the first drawer. Nothing. Absolutely empty. He checked the other two drawers; they were the same. That was really odd. He gave the room another look around and he didn't see a second chest.

Well, he figured he'd find out soon enough. Hopefully it wouldn't be for the things she liked using on him best.

There was a fairly nice looking desk and chair on the other side of the room. There wasn't anything on it, or in it he soon discovered. There was an easy chair against the corner from the desk; it had a reading lamp beside it. It was all nice, and there were worse things in life than being in a room like this every night. But. Well. There was nothing _personal_ in the room. It was as if the room _was_ all his. 

Next was the adjoining bathroom. It had a nice sized shower, glass encased, and there were some odd looking dials on the wall. He looked more closely at them and realized they were wall mounted shower jets. It was a fancy, rich asshole shower, complete with water massage if the occupant so pleased. The shelf inside held the usual amenities; shampoo, conditioner, soap, one of those floofy fucking things, razor, and shaving gel. All in typical scents Beta males and Alphas used, all very masculine scents. The vanity held all the things one might need. No makeup though. There were a lot of Omegas who wore makeup; he'd done it himself on occasion. Betas and Alphas did it, as well, although it was a lot less common, especially with Alpha females. He hadn't seen any on her, though.

He went back into the bedroom; the clock read 15:35. He left the bedroom, the one he still couldn't believe he'd be allowed in nightly, and started looking for the main room. It was going to take him a few days to learn everything, assuming he was allowed to wander freely. If not, well, then he'd learn where he was allowed to go far more quickly. But fuck if he couldn't find the main room. You'd think it would be simple; just fucking go downstairs and go back to the foyer and it should be a room close by. But no.

He found a gathering spot, and from the smell of it, it was an Alpha and Beta spot. He knocked lightly on the doorframe, not stepping foot inside the room.

"Sorry to bother. Where's the main room? I just got here today and-"

An annoyed looking Beta (or so he assumed from the size of her) sighed irritably and snapped at him. "Downstairs, on the right."

Eggsy flushed. "Oh. Sorry, expected it to be on ground floor."

He left them, not wanting to ask where the stairs were. For all he knew, they'd complain about him being in their space. Or for talking to them. Or for some-fucking-thing because they _could_ be like that. It took him several minutes to find the stairs. He hadn't run into Tilde yet, so he must not be late. He didn't really want to find out what would happen if she had to come looking for him.

He found the main room, although it was more of a den than anything else. She was curled up on a sofa, reading. He hung back at the doorway, standing just to the right of the door. He'd be out of the way if someone else came in. Was he supposed to approach her? Or let her know he was there? He shuddered again. Fuck, he hated this feeling. He wanted to adjust, like ten minutes ago.

She looked up, closing the book but keeping a finger between the pages. "Done looking around already?"

She sounded. What? It took him a minute to place it: curious. As if she actually hadn't expected him to be done. He shuddered again.

"Well. I can go back. I wasn't sure what time dinner was and I didn't want you to have to come looking for me and I looked all around the room."

She smiled; it was soft and amused looking. "I'd meant the manse, but that's fine. Dinner isn't for a couple of hours yet."

"Oh." Fuck, he'd fucked up. Already.

"Why don't you come and sit with me? You can explore later if you want."

He went over and, after hesitating while he tried to decide if she meant the sofa or the floor, sat on the sofa. Stiffly at first, until she didn't react negatively. "So, um, can I... ask about rules? Or am I going to learn them as I go?"

She made an amused sound that was just shy of being a laugh. "I suppose we'll learn as we go. I've never had an Omega before, so I'm just... winging it, I suppose."

"Alright."

He heard the tremor in his own voice. He wouldn't know if he'd done something wrong until he did it. He'd always thought he'd like living somewhere without rules; he'd never thought it would be so terrifying. He needed to take his mind off of that, or he was going to be a mass of anxiety and fear.

“Ain’t a-” He flinched. “ _Isn’t_ a manse a minister’s place?”

“Mm. Papa bought it when the previous minister retired.” She paused. “I don’t mind ‘ain’t’. I might not use it myself, but you may.”

“Thanks. I. Well, I grew up not being all that formal. So it’s been, you know, kinda hard re-learning.”

“The Alpha you ran away from, did that one demand it?”

He nodded.

“Well, then why don’t you not? You flinch every time you slip up. I don’t think you need to be afraid of dropping a ‘g’ or using a less formal word.” She grinned a little. “Papa won’t like it, and he’ll probably grump about it, but you’re mine, not his.”

Eggsy nodded, making a mental note to use it around her father. He didn’t want to risk being punished by the clan-heads. If Popy had been any indication, they were sadists, and he didn’t want to find out _how_ sadistic this one was.

“I understand, master.”

“Tilde,” she corrected softly.

“Master Tilde.”

She made that soft, not quite amused laugh again. “Just Tilde.”

“Alright. Tilde.”

4

Hours later, Eggsy lay on his back in the bedroom too nice to be for him. He’d expected her to lead him to the bedroom, but she’d only shown him where _her_ room was if he needed her and told him goodnight. The room really was just for him.

But that wasn’t what was keeping him awake. He just couldn’t sleep. Everything was new, every _one_ was new. The rules were unwritten. The home was unknown. Punishments were unknown. He hadn’t realized just how bad the adjustment period could be. The only time he’d felt, well, calmer had been when he’d been with Tilde. There was something about her scent that was soothing to him.

After debating for a long while, he got out of bed and took one of the pillows with him. He made certain to be as quiet as he could in the hallway and when opening Tilde’s door. He crept over to her bed and laid down on the floor.

 _Just for a little while_ , he thought. _Just until I feel like I can sleep._

He was asleep before he realized it, and slept the night through there, where Tilde would find him there in the morning.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter Harry Hart.

1

Before Eggsy realized it, a month had gone by. For the first time in his life, he was happy. Tilde hadn’t been upset when she’d found him that first morning, and he’d slept beside her until the adjustment period was over. By then, he’d gotten used to it, to having someone to sleep beside that he wasn’t afraid of. She’d gotten used to it, too, and asked him if he wanted to share her room.

Not told. Not demanded. She’d fucking _asked_. Like he was an equal and not just her property. The others in the clan still treated him like he was shit, but they couldn’t actually do anything to him without her say so. He didn’t act out, and their treatment stopped bothering him as much because _she didn’t treat him like that_.

She’d even gotten him more clothes. She didn’t take him shopping; instead they ordered online. ‘They’ and not ‘she’ because she’d brought up things and he got to decide. And so far, she hadn’t slept with him, just beside him. She didn’t really like going out, but she never said anything about it and he didn’t ask. It was just another oddity of his master. Of Tilde.

This afternoon, however, she’d been on the phone for hours. They were always short calls, with her asking if they worked with Omegas and then if they could recommend anyone. Then another call. And another. But she finally found one that was willing and she told them they’d be there shortly.

It was the first time in weeks that he’d felt a sense of dread with her. He wasn’t sure what she was planning for him. He _wanted_ to trust her - she’d been so good to him so far, better than he felt he deserved - but he knew what Alphas thought of Omegas, even if they treated them well.

“Do I need to change?”

“Oh, no. Not at all.”

He didn’t speak on the drive to where they were going. He just watched out the window, trying to prepare himself for whatever awaited. He noticed, somewhat vaguely, that she smelled anxious. He was her first, and he just dismissed it as that. Or maybe she thought that he’d embarrass her.

Their driver pulled over to the curb and opened the door for her. He let go of the door, not extending the courtesy to Eggsy. That was expected. He stayed behind her as they went toward a shop and he cast a wary glance at the name.

Kingsman.

She was taking him to a tailor?

He shrugged it off and followed her inside. There was an Alpha waiting. An Alpha with a very strong scent. Eggsy found himself nearly overpowered by it and stepped closer to Tilde. He could still smell the Alpha, but at least he could smell her, too.

The Alpha, on the other hand, was watching Eggsy. Closely. Almost angrily. He picked up his drink and took a sip of it. He had short dark-but-greying hair and wore glasses. He was impeccably dressed. He stood after a moment and held out a hand to Tilde.

“Harry Hart.” He shifted his gaze to Eggsy. “I know who Ms. Alström is. But I don’t believe I’ve had the, mm, _pleasure_?”

Eggsy wasn’t sure what he’d done to piss off the Alpha, but there was definitely a bite to his words. It sounded as if just existing was enough to make the Alpha want to fight. “Eggsy, sir.”

“Hm.” He turned his attention back to Tilde. “As I told you, yes, we do work with Omegas, but I do hope you understand something: we do not put out inferior quality. If you were expecting that, I’m afraid we cannot do business.”

She shook her head. “That’s actually what I was looking for, although I will expect some civility with my property.”

Harry’s brow raised slightly and he nodded. “Of course, my apologies, Ms Alström. Now, what can we do for you?”

“I want a suit made for him. One appropriate for various functions.” She hesitated a second, as if knowing that what she was about to ask might cause him to reject her request entirely. “And an inner pocket in the jacket.”

Harry nodded and he didn’t seem to surprised by the request. “A sachet pocket, I presume? While such is a rare request, you’re hardly the first to request such from us. Shall I then?”

“Yes.” She turned to look at Eggsy. He was on edge and she could smell it. “Go with him.”

He nodded and followed Harry through a door. He barely had time to register how small the room was ( _like a closet_ ) before Harry shut the door ( _locked in a closet_ ) behind them. There were mirrors in front of Eggsy and he watched Harry in them. Harry, who was staring at him angrily. Harry, who was toying with the measuring tape in his hands.

He noticed the Omega watching him and forced the look off of his face. “I’m going to take your measurements and then find you something sized properly. And then we’ll mark where alterations need to be done.”

“Sure.”

Harry took Eggsy’s measurements quickly. When he turned to leave, he paused and spoke without looking back at Eggsy. “Has Eggsy always been your name?”

Eggsy wasn’t sure what that had to do with anything. “Yeah, well, ‘cept for a couple months. But it was. Well. Mostly the same.”

“Who was your caretaker when you were a child?”

Oh. Fuck. This had something to do with Poppy, didn’t it? Eggsy fell a step away from Harry.

“Dean Baker. He’s-”

Harry’s lip pulled back in a snarl. “I _know_ who _that_ is.”

Eggsy flinched at the tone and Harry left him alone. It wasn’t long - maybe ten or fifteen minutes - before there was a knock on the fitting room door. A small, blonde woman came in with a suit on a hanger. She was shorter than he was, but she looked well cared for. Her hair barely touched her shoulders, but it was neat. Her medallion was over her shirt; it was a pink, sideways ‘K’.

“Mr. Hart would like you to try this on, please.” Her voice was soft, submissive. The perfect Omega tone. Oh, but her eyes. She was watching him with something of a calculating look. She was taking deep breaths, smelling him as if she wanted to know everything she could.

Eggsy unbuttoned the polo he was wearing. He had no qualms about nudity in front of other Omegas. It was something that happened when they all lived together. “He always like that?”

“Like what?”

He pulled his shirt off as he spoke. “A fuckin’ arsehole. Actin’ like I ain’t got a reason to exist and like he’s gonna punish me for being in his shop.”

Her look faltered for a moment and he could see something almost wild in her eyes. But then she took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “I’m afraid that I can’t say.”

He quirked his brow. ‘Can’t’ and ‘don’t know’ are two very different things. “I get you.”

She looked him over one last time, her eyes lingering on his neck and his right arm. She left him alone, that perfectly submissive look back in place. He smirked a bit as she left. He’d thought she was broken, the way a lot of Omegas end up. But either her Alpha willingly took care of her, or she was damn good at faking it.

And that brought up a thought: could an Alpha actually care for an Omega? Not in the sense of a caretaker. But. Like they might another Alpha or a Beta. He chided himself for going into a fantasy world. No matter how well Tilde might treat him, he was property.

But it was nice to think about.

And he thought about it while getting dressed, until a knock brought him out of it. Harry entered and sized Eggsy up. At least this time his face was neutral, even if Eggsy could smell the adrenaline coursing through him; the Alpha was still furious. He closed the door again and started measuring again and tugging on the suit. Eggsy rocked a little as he was tugged on.

“Still,” Harry all but growled.

Eggsy could feel himself start to shake. He wanted to be still, he really did, but he couldn’t. He was locked in a closet with an angry Alpha. He didn’t think his master would let him be hurt by a stranger, but the Alpha could always hurt him while they were alone. As long as he didn’t leave any marks, he could tell Tilde that her Omega was lying. He closed his eyes and just concentrated on being still.

Clearly, he didn’t do a very good job of it, as Harry stood and put his hands on Eggsy shoulders and said: “Still.”

This time it wasn’t a growl, however, nor was it a demand. It was a command, one Eggsy felt utterly compelled to obey. His knees threatened to buckle, but he held himself still. He watched Harry in the mirror, his eyes wide.

“Good. Now stay that way.” It was the same commanding tone, but quieter this time.

He was feeling a surge of… of…. of _something_ , and he realized he would probably obey anything Harry said in that tone. With that power. And he was suddenly _very_ aware of Harry’s hands touching him as the Alpha marked spots for alterations.

“Very good, Gary.”

“‘m Eggsy,” he said, although his voice seemed to be coming from miles away.

“Oh. Right. Of course.” He opened the door and stepped out. “Just leave the suit on the hanger in there and we’ll take care of it.”

Eggsy dressed numbly, his hands fumbling with the suit and then his own clothing. He _wanted_ the Alpha to come back. As much as he was afraid of him, Eggsy wanted…. What? He didn’t know what, only that he’d never felt this before.

He rejoined Tilde in the shop proper and she gave him a concerned look. She thanked Harry and asked him to call her when the suit was ready before ushering Eggsy back to the car.

“What did he do to you?”

Eggsy shook his head. “Noth-” He paused. “I don’t know.”

She put a hand on his. “Tell me?”

“He.” Eggsy sighed. “I was scared, all right? Being in a small, enclosed space… It’s hard for me. It was how…” He trailed off.

“It was a punishment.” She raised her tone on the last word, turning it into a half-question.

Eggsy nodded. “And he was already angry with me for… for I don’t even know why. He’d told me to still once, and I tried. I really did. But then he put his hands on my shoulders and said it again and I…”

“Obeyed without thought and wanted him to command you again,” she filled in. “You’ve never _wanted_ to submit to anyone before, have you?”

“Fuck, is that what it feels like?” No wonder the Omegas who felt that way were always so happy. It was like a kind of bliss. “Then yeah. It. Sorry.”

She watched out the window, without speaking, the rest of the way back. He wanted to tell her that he hadn’t meant to, to apologize until she forgave him, to promise that it wouldn’t happen again. But apologies had always been a forbidden thing and he didn’t want to upset her more.

When they were home, she took him by the hand and led him upstairs to their bedroom. She locked the door and sat on the bed.

“Come and sit with me.”

He went to her and sat beside her. If this was the precursor to some punishment, it was the weirdest type.

“We need to talk about something. Something I suppose we should have spoken about before but I simply didn’t want to.”

“What is it?”

She sighed softly; she wasn’t sure where to begin.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry and Tilde give some answers about what's going on with them. The blonde's identity is revealed. And a couple of new characters finally show up.
> 
> And in the middle of all that, there's fluff, there's pain, there's spies being spies. And then there's Eggsy, who just can't get a freaking break apparently.

1

It had been a rare thing for Lee to see his wife so aggressive and territorial. It made him wonder sometimes if she shouldn’t have born a Primary Omega female. Of course, if she had, he never would have had her. They were too rare and too much of a status symbol for a Beta to have. 

She was stalking back and forth, staying between him and the door. She kept her eyes on the door, waiting for the knob to turn, for some sign that Harry was on his way back. And when the door opened, she froze and Lee put a hand on her arm to keep her from launching herself at Harry. It didn’t, however, stop her from snarling at him.

“What in _Hell_ were you thinking?!”

Harry’s neutral expression didn’t change, but there was something off. Lee could almost see it; something in his eyes and something in his stance. But Harry had been trained as a Kingsman, and they were good at hiding their feelings, at least when it didn’t affect their scent.

“You _terrorized_ my _son_.”

Harry was more tolerant of Omegas than most Alphas. He saw no good reason for their enslavement; or, if he had at one point, he’d learned differently from knowing Michelle and Lee for so long. He knew that it was about being dominant to an Omega, and not _dominating_ them. 

“Admittedly, I had a poor grasp on my temper.” He poured himself a drink. He was a little shaken by how Gary, rather _Eggsy_ had reacted to him. He’d been friends with Lee longer than Eggsy had been alive, and he’d known the Beta for longer than that. It felt more than a bit wrong to have Eggsy not just obey, but go fully into that submissive place where every word, every touch set the Omega’s nerves on fire.

“That’s putting it mildly.”

“Michelle, we’ve tried to find him for the better part of twenty-three _years_. Poppy never bothered to register him, and there’s only so much we can do with just an image. She has a number of unregistered Omegas, and, as you might recall, every spy we’ve had infiltrate her clan never found him.”

“Yes, I know,” she said bitterly. Her rage was starting to wane, at least what she felt toward Harry. “She knew we’d look for him. She probably hid him every time any outsider came in, just to make sure Lee couldn’t get to him.”

“Exactly. And we had no way of knowing that he’d been bought by Clan Sverige.” He paused for a moment. “I would have reacted the same way if it had been you walking through the door after trying to find you for so long. You aren’t the only one in the room who happens to be territorial.”

Lee waited a moment, to see if the subject of Harry’s anger was closed, and then spoke. “We need to find out how Ms. Alström came to own him. Bugging Eggsy’s suit would be the best start.”

“So it would seem. The only drawback is I doubt it would be a heavily discussed topic with him.” Harry eyed the other two for a moment. “Neither of you will be listening, of course.”

He’d expected Michelle to hotly disagree, but she just nodded. She understood; there was no reason for the parents to listen as their long lost child was punished for whatever reason. Especially not when there would be nothing they could do.

“We may not have to bother.” Merlin said from the far door. “There’s a new registration in Golden Circle’s database. The file’s date is from 23 years ago, however the coding of it and the upload date are from a month ago. It is for one Eggy Hesketh née Eggsy Baker.”

Michelle’s eyes widened and she whined as if struck. She felt Lee’s hands tighten on her arms. Baker. He’d owned her before Lee had bought her. Had Dean _known_ the child was Gary? What had he done to her child in those years?

“Hesketh has been groomed to be the clan-mother’s heir. She, for all intents and purposes, adopted Hesketh after the, mm, _tragic_ death of her daughter.”

Normally, he would have thought it a good match for any Omega. Any of them should have been happy to have such a high ranking Alpha. But he remembered all too well when Michelle first arrived. He hadn’t needed to see the marks on her, not when she woke them up screaming some nights.

“It’s not entirely clear how Clan Sverige ended up with him. I would assume a black market sale. The heir of said clan has purchases going back almost a month for clothing outside of her usual tastes. It’s been reported that someone new was brought into the clan, but a search of their records has come up empty.” He looked up from his clipboard and looked around at the others before finishing. “Clan-mother Adams has a reward out for him, through some less than legal groups. Apparently, he brutally assaulted his Alpha before running away.”

“There has to be more to the story,” Lee said. “If it was as simple as assaulting an Alpha, there are laws for that.”

“Gary was the one being brutalized,” Michelle said in a low voice that was barely more than a whisper. 

“Likely true. That’s within Hesketh’s rights as his owner, however.” Merlin could _feel_ the seething look Michelle was giving him. “Whatever he did to Hesketh, clan-mother Adams doesn’t want it getting out. If she gets him back-”

“They aren’t going to,” Harry said, cutting Merlin off. “We’re going to get him first.”

2

“I probably should have been honest with you from the start.”

Eggsy snorted. “You really haven’t had much experience with Omegas. We’re told what we need to be told, and that’s it.”

She shot him an odd look, but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared. “I didn’t buy you because I wanted a slave. I needed you for something I… I can’t have an Alpha or a Beta for.”

“What can an Omega do for you that no one else can?”

She toyed with the hem of her shirt before unbuttoning it. She had an undershirt on, and Eggsy could see the lines of a wide pocket sewn into it. Although it seemed less of a pocket and more of an insert the length of the shirt.

“It’s a sachet pocket,” she said softly.

“You said you wanted one of those in the suit. What is it?”

She shrugged her shirt off and then pulled the undershirt off. She turned it inside out and pulled a fairly flat packet just smaller than the pocket. Eggsy hadn’t seen her in this state of undress before. She always changed without him in the room, or in the bathroom. He figured it was connected to the packet, but he wasn’t sure how.

She held it up for him to smell, and he could almost see the connection but it was just out of reach.

“It smells like you.”

“It’s to cover up my own scent. You leave it in the pocket while it’s in the closet or what-have-you and the clothing absorbs the scent. And I keep one on me for extra protection.”

He watched her, saying nothing for a moment. He’d never heard of someone doing that, but then, he hadn’t been lying when he’d said he was only told what he needed to know. “Why do you need do that?”

“I’m... not an Alpha.”

He shook his head a little. “So? Can’t clan-mothers be Betas? I’ve heard that anyway.”

“I’m not a Beta. I’m an _Omega_. These help hide it.”

He stared at her. Of all the reasons she might have been hiding her own scent, this was beyond anything he would have ever thought. “I’m sorry, could you say that again?”

“You heard me,” she said quietly. It was a moment before she continued on. “Papa was so happy when he had a Primary daughter. I was thirteen when I first started… feeling how I feel. So I’ve been wearing them every day ever since. Even my nightclothes have pockets for them.”

“Fuck me.” Eggsy leaned his head back. “That’s why I need a suit for all occasions. You take an Alpha or a Beta for a mate and you’ll be up for auction before you can blink.”

She nodded silently.

“But that doesn’t explain why _I_ need one of those pockets.”

“I want you to pass as my Beta.”

Eggsy tipped his head to the side. “What makes you think I can do that?”

“If I can do it, so can you. I have a head start on you, but that doesn’t mean you can’t learn.”

He looked back up at the ceiling for a long moment before sighing and looking at her. He took one of her hands in both of his. His movements were still cautious; he’d never been the one to initiate that sort of touch.

“Does anyone else know?”

“Just you and my parents.”

He lifted one hand to her face, cupping her cheek. “Your secret’s safe with me, and. Well, I’ll try to be a Beta.”

She smiled down at him. He pulled her down to meet his lips. The first taste of her was like a dream realized. He’d wanted it; she’d wanted it. It was one of the few times he’d kissed anyone. Most of the people he’d been loaned out to felt that an Omega’s mouth was good for one thing. He thought that if he never sucked a dick again, it would be too soon.

And while a lot of experience there might make one good at dick sucking, it didn’t help teach a person how to kiss. He tried to follow her lead, but it was a sad and sloppy attempt. She pulled away after a moment, giggling.

“I ain’t had much practice with this.”

“Then I’ll have to teach you.”

He laid back, letting his hands rest on her shoulders. She leaned over him, straddling him as she moved. He could feel what she really wanted, and for once, he was fine with that. He pushed himself up just enough to kiss her lips.

“You’ll have to...” He shrugged slightly. “Dean never loaned me out to a Primary female.”

She kissed him, twining her fingers in his hair and tugging it lightly. “Today is the first time you tried to kiss me. You’ve never had a choice in this. When you _want_ to be with me because _you_ want to, then we’ll talk about sex.”

It rose in him to protest, to tell her what he felt she wanted to hear. Not out of fear, but because he wanted to… well, ‘submit’ wouldn’t be the right word, but close. Or maybe even a different kind of submission.

When Harry had spoken to him in that _tone_ and commanded him to be still, he’d felt this need to obey, this desire to do whatever he said. Harry had found a need so deep inside of him that he didn’t realize it had been there. A need to kneel or to serve, to do what was asked of him because it filled that so long unknown need.

With Tilde, though, he would still kneel or server or whatever she wanted. If it would make her happy, he would do it. He wanted her smile, wanted her laughter. He wanted the look in her eyes that came when he tried something that he had never been allowed before.

She wanted him to have choices. If he asked her to get off of him right now, he was fairly certain she would. Hell, he probably didn’t even have to _ask_ , just say. And it was utterly erotic to have that option, to have that power while she was on top of him. It sent shivers through him.

“I s’ppose until then, you’ll just have to teach me to be a better kisser.”

She grinned down at him. “Gladly.”

3

“Good afternoon, Ms. Alström.” Harry had waited a couple days before initiating their plan. “Yes, I _am_ calling about his suit. Unfortunately, there was something wrong with the one he tried on. As we don’t keep many in stock, I’m afraid we’ll have to make one.” He paused while she spoke. “Oh, no, not at all. This was a problem we simply hadn’t noticed. The new suit will be at the top of our orders and there will be no extra charge for you. It will, however, require an additional fitting.” Another pause. “Of course, of course. We’ll call you when we’re ready for you to bring him in again. Yes, yes. Good-bye, Ms. Alström.”

Merlin waited until Harry had hung up. “We’ve managed to hide trackers in the seams of the coat and pants on the trial suit. They were still noticeable if touched while someone was wearing them. They’re working on redesigning the trackers. The mics are well hidden, however. One in the tie, one in the jacket, and one in the belt.”

Harry nodded. “They have a week to finish the redesign.”

Merlin nodded as though he’d expected that and sent the message by way of his clipboard. “Geraint, Kay, Gareth, and Palamedes volunteered to monitor all activity, two teams in 12-hour shifts. And Galahad left approximately 45 minutes ago. Assuming a successful mission, we may have the information we need in a matter of days.”

Harry nodded. His replacement hadn’t failed a mission yet. “If you don't hear back first, check in with Galahad in two and a quarter hours; we _should_ know if the mission was a success or not by then.”

“I’ll keep yeh informed, Arthur.”

4

A brunette had been shown to a sitting room of clan Sverige’s manse. She wore her hair pulled back into a messy looking horsetail, and had on well traveled boots, comfortably broken in jeans, a dull white shirt, and a red and black plaid shirt. A well traveled packsack leaned against the sofa with a rolled sleeping bag strapped to the top.

The clan-mother and father joined her, taking a seat on the opposite sofa. They studied her for a few silent moments before he gave his wife a subtle nod.

“I understand you wanted to speak with us about something.”

The brunette nodded. “Yeah, see I’m sort of a transient.” She spoke with an odd accent. “I wanted to see the world before settling down, but that tends to require money. So I get low on funds, and I ask around for who might need a short-term worker and your clan was mentioned.”

The clan-mother looked a little curious and a little surprised. “Might I ask who gave you our name?”

She shrugged. “I don’t really get names.”

“How short-term did you mean?”

She shrugged again. “Enough to get me somewheres else. Ain’t gotta be more than a few weeks, a few days. Whatever you need.”

“Well,” Mrs. Alström looked thoughtful for a moment, “there _is_ a maid who just gave birth a few weeks ago. She wants another few weeks until she returns.”

“Ain’t nothing wrong with that.”

“Yes.” She really wished this transient would use better language, but the girl _was_ just a transient. “I suppose we could take you on that long. What did you say your name was?”

“Oh, _duh_. Totally forgot to even say. ‘m Roxanne.”

5

She’d been shown to a room and then left to her own devices, and that was perfectly fine by her. It gave her the excuse of ‘just looking around’ if anyone found her anywhere she shouldn’t really be. No one had really given her any trouble. That was an advantage of being a Beta: you were neither threat nor slave.

The suit Eggsy had tried on at the shop hadn’t held much of his scent; he’d worn it for far too brief of a time. That turned out to be a non-issue, however. As soon as she started looking around, she caught a scent that was close to Lee’s own. She couldn’t imagine it to be anyone other than Lee’s son.

Thus far, she’d found three places - the main room, the dining room, and a cozy little den that only held two scents - where his scent was strongest and hidden bugs in the rooms. Now she was following the scent on the first floor. She paused outside a door and listened for a moment before going it.

It was the bedroom, and she knew she had to be quick in there. She hid one bug under the bed and behind the bed frame. The other she hid under the vanity, as far back as she could. She left the room quickly and unnoticed, and returned to her room. Once inside, she pulled a pair of glasses out of her packsack and put them on.

“Merlin, it’s done.” There was no trace of the accent she’d used before.

“Good work, Galahad. Taking them online and… I’ve got a strong connection to each one. Were yeh be able to move around freely?”

“Yes. Our information was correct.”

“Excellent. Report in if you need to.”

“Understood. Out.”

6

Roxy made a point of cleaning and working in those three rooms over the next few days. She saw, rather immediately, how strangely Tilde treated Eggsy. In the private den, she saw them just watching tv together, cuddled up together. Once, she saw Tilde reading while Eggsy lay with his head in her lap. Tilde had been running her fingers through Eggsy’s hair somewhat idly, and he was relaxed enough to be half-asleep. Eggsy ate _with_ her, rather than after her. Her father gave them a disgruntled look when she told Eggsy to eat, but he said nothing. The most normal treatment he got was when they were in the main room. In there, he sat at her feet, leaning back against her legs.

On the fourth day, she saw Tilde leave without Eggsy. Where she was going didn’t really matter; that she’d left Eggsy behind _did_. She assumed he’d be in the bedroom and went there first. She opened the door and went in as if she was just there to clean. She started at seeing him.

“Oh, ‘m so sorry. I saw Ms. Alström leave and figured you were with her.”

Eggsy shook his head. He was sitting on the bed, with the laptop, and had the tv on the Cymru Baking Show. He seemed more interested in the competition than the laptop. “Nah, they’re doing somethin’ I can’t go to, so.” He shrugged. 

“Oh. Well, I’m just in here to clean. It’s alright, yeah?”

He looked at her, his eyes narrowing a little. “If you’re supposed to be, ain’t like I can stop you, yeah?”

She nodded and went about cleaning. Slowly.

“She treats you real nice. Your kinda spoiled for an Omega.”

He grinned. “Yeah, and I know it. She’s great.”

“You’re not worried she’ll find you using her stuff?”

“I’m allowed to.”

“Oh. That’s a nice reward.”

“Ain’t a reward. Just how she is.”

Roxy paused in her cleaning. “You sound, well, real happy here.”

He sighed softly. “Yeah. I am. Never been this happy.”

“You almost,” she started slowly, “sound like she treats you like somethin’ other than a Omega.”

Eggsy shrugged. “It’s her right to decide how to treat me. She’s my master, ya know?”

Roxy could sense a change in him. He’d become more guarded. It made her think he was lying.

“Do you trust her?”

Eggsy stared at her for a moment after that question. “Whether I do or not ain’t important.”

“I suppose not.” She went back to cleaning. She paused on her way out to ask him one more thing. “‘s it true? You nearly killed your Alpha?”

Eggsy’s eyes narrowed warily. “How d’you know about that?”

“I’m a transient. Passed through their territory ‘bout a week ago. Overheard a couple Alphas talkin’ ‘bout it.”

Eggsy smiled slowly. He tried to not be openly proud of what he’d done, but knowing that word had gotten around that he’d gotten the better of that fuck? He couldn’t hide it then. “Yep, it’s true. Mother here knows about it, too. She ain’t worried, though.”

Roxy nodded. “Well, see ya ‘round.”

7

A couple days later, Tilde received another call from Harry; this one letting her know that Eggsy needed to come in for a fitting. It was, not accidentally, a day that Roxy had asked off. She caught them as they were leaving.

“Sorry t’be a bother, Miss. Do you mind if I ride into town with you? Got a day off ‘n’ all.”

Tilde nodded. She liked the new maid. She’d been nice to Eggsy, even talking to him if he was in the room she was cleaning. “Please do.”

When they arrived at the tailor shop, she got out with them but lingered by the car for a moment. As she expected, the went into the shop without paying attention to her. She caught the door before it closed and slipped inside. She locked the door and put up a sign saying they’d be back later.

“Good to see you again, Ms. Alström, and your Omega, of course.”

Tilde shook Harry’s hand and held on for a second, her smile disappearing. “He does have a name, Mr. Hart.”

“Of course. My sincere apologies.” He turned halfway and motioned for Michelle to join him. “Show him to fitting room four.”

“Of course, this way please.” She led Eggsy out of the room.

“If you could come with me, Ms. Alström.”

Tilde frowned slightly. “Is there a reason I can’t wait here?”

Roxy came forward, stopping when she was side-by-side with Tilde. She dropped her cover persona. “We need to talk about Eggsy.”

Tilde’s eyes widened. “Why? Are you...? What is this about?”

“Harry will explain if you'll just come with us.”

8

Michelle led Eggsy to a room, one that was certainly not a fitting room. Eggsy hesitated at the door.

“Don’t worry. I need to show you something.”

Eggsy stayed at the door. “Look, no offense, but your Alpha’s an arse and I don’t want to piss him off again.”

“Harry is...” Michelle sighed. “He was being territorial. And he’s not my Alpha; I have a Beta.”

Eggsy leaned forward enough to look around the room. It looked like the shop’s security room, but a look at the screens told him the cameras weren’t in the shop. One of them showed the Laughing Ladies’ condominium. 

“The fuck is this?” he said, coming into the room finally.

“Surveillance,” Michelle said while pulling something up on one of the computers. “This is what Harry wanted you to see.”

“ _Harry_ wanted what now?”

Michelle waved him over and he looked down at the screen. She put a hand on his arm. She knew she shouldn’t; he didn’t know her. She just couldn’t help herself. Not with him so close after so long.

“Fuck,” Eggsy whispered as he read what Harry had wanted him to see. “Poppy put out a contract on me? For fifteen grand? What’s this about only getting their base fee if I’m dead?”

“Their base rate is ten thousand. They probably won’t try to take you alive, not when it’s only five grand on the line. They care more about getting the mark before anyone else can. She doesn’t actually care about getting you back in once piece. She just wants to keep what she thinks of as hers.”

“Yeah, well, Poppy’s kind of a bitch.”

Michelle leaned her head against his arm and made a soft sound of agreement. “Yes, she is.”

Eggsy looked down at her. “She used to own you.”

“Yes. Until I was taken away from her. I’d be dead by now if I hadn’t been.”

“Why’s that?”

Michelle stepped away from him, turned away from him, and lifted her shirt up. Eggsy hissed in a breath. She had the same wing-like pattern of scars, but she had seven parallel scars on either side of her spine. He could see the beginnings of more marks starting on her hips and going down.

“The first time, she doesn’t leave marks. She just-”

“Cuts the first pair of lines. Hurts like fuck, but then it just gets worse.”

Michelle lowered her shirt, turning to face him with something akin to horror in her eyes. Had she passed on her own nature to him? Guilt twisted in her stomach. _Why couldn’t they find him sooner?_

“How… How many do you…?”

“Five.”

Michelle made a choked noise. Five. She’d sent for him five times. She crossed her arms over her chest, looking so scared and upset and angry all at once. “She does it to the ones she thinks are too feral. You have eight chances. If I’d been called to her one more time…”

“Wait, _called_ to her?”

Michelle nodded. “You do something wrong, fight back or get into a rage… maybe knee your owner in the balls one time when he forces you onto the bed-”

Eggsy grinned at that.

“She’ll wait a few days and then call for you. My owner at the time, he used to tell me that he was going to leave me with her for a while, like he had any control over it.”

The grin fell off of Eggsy’s face. Maybe he should have realized it wasn’t Dean sending him to her, that Omegas who were Just That Bad got the special treatment when she heard enough complaints. But he’d been terrorized for so long that he’d never stopped to consider if a threat like that could be a bluff.

Because sometimes his threats weren’t bluffs.

“I guess you’re a bit feral, too, huh?”

Eggsy nodded. “I get it from my mum. She was uncontrollable. Mother said she had no option but to kill my mum.” He paused. “Poppy, I mean.”

“I've done it, too. Sometimes the memories are just so close.”

He nodded. “Yeah, I know that one.”

He was silent for a few moments. It was so hard for Michelle to not go back to him, to pull him into her arms, to tell him how sorry she was because she made him like her.

“You, um.” She cleared her throat. “You like your Alpha.”

Eggsy shrugged. “What makes you think that?”

Michelle shifted uncomfortably. “We. We had no way of knowing what she was doing to you. You went from Dean to Poppy’s heir apparent, fell off the radar, and then ended up with your new Alpha. I couldn’t be sure- _We_ couldn’t be sure of how she was treating you or how she’d react to this.”

“Yeah, I can get that. I mean, if killing me’s the better option, I expect they don’t care about bystanders and whatnot.”

She nodded. “Alphas, Omegas, pups. They don’t care. And what Alpha is going to risk their own life over an easily replaceable Omega?”

“Point. But you sorta avoided my question. What makes you think I care about her?”

“We.” She paused. “We sent Roxy. She went undercover as a transient to gain access to you. She needed to find out if you were replaceable, valuable, or what. Everything she saw indicated that you care about each other.”

“You sent her to fucking spy on us?!”

“We just wanted you to be safe. If we had to buy you or steal you or whatever else.” She continued on in a soft voice. “I just wanted you to be safe.”

“Why do you care? We’ve met twice.”

Michelle watched him for a few moments. “You can’t tell, can you?”

“Tell what?”

“There’s nothing in my scent that’s familiar at all?”

“Well, yeah, but you used to be there. I probably knew your blood.”

She put her hands on his face. “You more than _know_ my blood. She _took you_ from me, and we’ve been trying to find out what she did with you for twenty-three years.”

“No,” he pulled away from her. “My mum’s _dead_. Ran off, rutted with some guy, got hauled back and had me. But she was too fuckin’ feral to behave so Poppy _killed_ her.”

“That isn’t... entirely wrong. One of her Betas bought me from Dean, the same bastard who raised you. He and Harry had been friends for years, and Lee - your father - wanted out of Golden Circle. Poppy told him he could leave, but only with what was his.” She made a soft sound. “Lee, he. He took us away, but she caught us and she pulled you from my arms. I attacked her, or I tried to anyway. Lee couldn’t have killed them all before being killed. He’s good, but he’s not that good. No one is. He had to pick between dying and leaving you and I to her whims, or leaving you with her.”

She stepped toward him again and put her hands on his arms. “She knew we’d look for you, and she did everything she could to keep us from finding you. But we never stopped looking. _Never_.”

He didn’t move away this time, nor did he speak right away. His throat was working as if he wanted to say something, or maybe he was close to crying. And when she pulled him into her arms, he didn’t resist. Slowly, his arms went around her.

“This ain’t no bullshit, right?”

“No, baby, it’s not bullshit.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Eggsy was off with Michelle, learning what was going on and who Michelle was to him, Tilde was learning the same from Harry and the others.

1

Harry led Roxy and Tilde through the back room and into something of a meeting room. Traditionally, the actual boardroom had been off limits to Omegas, thus Harry had set up an alternate room in the tailor shop. Change was normally a slow thing, and Harry seemed in no mood to rush them.

There was no actual table in the room. There were five chairs along the wall across from the door. Usually there were three chairs along the other two walls, but for this, the two closest had been moved; one had been placed across from the central seat, the other to the left of it.

Tilde paused in the door. The combined scents of Harry and an unfamiliar Alpha were strong in the room, and they were powerful scents. There was an undercurrent, as well. Something that was very similar to Eggsy’s own scent, or maybe it was just being muddled by the others in the room. Either way, it made her less uneasy about whatever was about to happen in here. She entered and looked around the room, slowly stopping on each person.

Merlin and Lee were already seated to the right and left, respectively, of the center chair. Harry took the center seat and Roxy took the seat beside Merlin. Harry’s position made it clear to Tilde immediately that he wasn’t just a worker in a shop, but that he was high up in the clan. She realized she could be looking at the clan-father and she did not like that. She did wonder where the clan-mother was for this, and what her part in it was.

Harry motioned to the two chairs across from him. Tilde sat in the one directly opposite of him, and as high as possible. She knew how much smaller she was than the two Alphas in the room, and she needed to offset that difference as much as possible. She didn’t want to appear weak, for Eggsy’s sake as well as her own.

Harry motioned to Merlin and Lee in turn. “These are Hamish and Lee, my right and left hands as it were.”

Tilde looked them both over, slowly and with a dismissive look. “Both males, hm.”

Harry bristled enough to be noticed. Merlin, on the other hand, raised his brow and tipped his head slightly to the side in something of a half shrug. He had just enough of a smirk showing to make it clear that he felt she had a point.

“Yes. Our Mother passed on years ago, and our last Father met something of an unfortunate end fairly recently.” Harry left it unspoken that he had been that ‘unfortunate’ end.

There had been things Chester had been involving their clan in that Harry couldn’t abide. Even Merlin, traditionalist that he was, had been against Chester’s plans. It became clear enough that two factions were forming within their clan. Like as not, Harry had been made the leader of his own. In an attempt to stop an inter-clan war, he challenged Chester and killed the older Alpha.

Many of the ones who’d sided with Chester had left. It had hurt their numbers, and some of the changes had been forced upon the clan to ensure their survival. It was why Harry hadn’t continued changing traditions he felt were outmoded. They couldn’t take the additional losses.

“Now, you wanted to talk about Eggsy for some reason?” Tilde asked.

“Yes,” Harry said, appraising her for a moment. “I want to buy him from you.”

Lee started but he said nothing, although he wanted to. The last thing he had expected was that Harry would offer to buy Eggsy from her. Merlin had passed on the reports to him, and there had been nothing in them to suggest anything other than Tilde honestly caring about Eggsy. He’d wondered if they could be in love, or getting there. For as much as he wanted his son back with his family, with the clan that was always his, he wouldn’t want Eggsy taken from an Alpha who looked on him as a mate and not a slave.

Tilde frowned at Harry. She’d noticed the start from the Beta out of the corner of her eye, but she didn’t break eye-contact with the Alpha. “No.”

Harry smiled, although Tilde could see there was more to it than mirth. “I’m willing to pay ten-thousand for him. I can’t imagine you paid anywhere _near_ that for him. It would be more than enough to get a better Omega and have a nice profit.”

Tilde’s eyes widened and then narrowed. It was true; Mama hadn’t paid all that much for Eggsy. It took a certain amount of spirit for an Omega to run away; it always made them less valuable than a broken Omega who would just obey their master. And to offer so much for an Omega he’d only seen _once_?

“That _is_ a lot of money. Before I answer, you’ll answer me one thing: why are you so interested in him? Surely he can’t be the only Omega you’re compatible with.”

Harry rubbed the bridge of his nose. He could feel both Merlin and Lee staring at him. Oh yes, this was _exactly_ how he’d wanted this to come out. After all, why talk to Lee and Merlin separately, one-on-one, when someone who was practically a stranger could just tell them both? _At least Michelle wasn’t here_ , he told himself.

“When and how did yeh find this out?” Merlin’s brogue, usually light enough, had thickened with his, mostly suppressed, anger.

“It was during his fitting. Given what Michelle said, I’ve assumed that Eggsy believed my territorial anger was just anger directed at him.” He paused. “He wouldn’t stand still, so I ordered him to. He went, instantly, into that headspace an Omega goes. I was rather surprised by it.”

He hadn’t been expecting it, nor had he expected his own reaction. Maybe it was how long they’d searched for Eggsy, or the sudden desire to fight the little Alpha that owned him, or maybe it had just been the compatibility. Or maybe it had just been the years since he’d had an Omega. Whatever it was, Harry had felt the sudden need to protect him from Tilde, and to give Eggsy what he needed, to dominate the young man in a way that would satisfy both of their long ignored needs.

Lee sat back, but kept starting at Harry. He said nothing for the longest time. He didn’t know how to feel, or how even to react. His Alpha, the one he’d chosen to follow long before Harry had challenged Chester, had found that bond with his son. His long-lost, stolen son.

“I knew something was off when you came back. There was something…” He trailed off, shaking his head. “ _Is_ that why you offered? To _buy_ him? To _keep_ him?”

“No. I simply doubt that anyone would keep an Omega for that sort of money.” He shrugged slightly. “Except for people like you, Lee, and apparently Ms. Alström. People who have feelings for their Omegas, but don’t look at them as property.”

“And you felt the need to test that because…?” Tilde was both annoyed and curious.

“As you may have surmised, I sent Roxy to infiltrate your clan and spy on you and Eggsy. We needed to know how you looked at him before we approached you. I couldn’t be certain if you were like Lee or not.” Harry explained. “And I needed to be.”

“Are you aware of who Eggsy’s previous owner was?” Merlin asked. He’d put aside what he was feeling just now, although he would be having a rather lengthy discussion with his mate once this business was over and the mantles of Arthur and Merlin set aside for the nonce.

“No. Eggsy only refers to him as, and you’ll pardon it, “that fuck”. It-” she stopped herself. She’d been about to say that it upsets him.

Lee might understand that and Roxy had been kind to him, but what of the other two? Especially Harry. What would he _do_ with that information?

“It seems an apt enough name, given what he’s told me about his time with that one. I do know, however, that he attacked the Alpha and ran away. He’s been vague on the details and I haven’t pushed him.”

Merlin nodded. “They’re known as the Golden Circle Clan. Their present clan-mother, Poppy Adams, is well known to be unforgiving and something of a sadist. When Michelle returns, if Lee’s willing, you can see an example.”

“Clan-mother Adams does not give up anything that she considers to be hers. She was quite furious when I left with Michelle. I had to sneak her out and hope we could get away fast enough. I barely got her out.” Lee paused. “She’s put a reward on his head, and at least one clan has taken her up on her offer. She’s agreed to pay this clan fifteen-thousand for Eggsy’s return, be it dead or alive. And considering they don’t take a contract if it’s less than ten, she isn’t really paying them enough to bother bringing him in unharmed.”

Tilde was silent for a moment. It seemed almost unreal. Why pay so much money to have an Omega returned when she could just file him as a runaway and have the legal system bring him back? She narrowed her eyes at Lee.

“There’s more than you’re telling me.”

Harry started to speak but Lee cut him off.

“Yes. Legally speaking, Eggsy has been stolen property for the last twenty-three years. He’s my son. I had the choice between dying and Poppy taking both Michelle and Eggsy, or taking Michelle and hoping to God we could find him.”

“Lee joined our clan about a month before Eggsy was born. He’s been listed in our records the entire time, but we’ve never been able to find him. She managed to keep him hidden from us, from our associates, anyone we sent in. She knew we’d keep looking for him even after the legal system failed.”

Tilde nodded. “She can’t go after him legally without it coming out that he’s stolen property.”

“Exactly. If it was anyone other than my son, I doubt she’d go to this much trouble.”

Tilde was quiet for a long time. A mercenary clan who’d been paid what they considered little to bring someone in dead or alive wasn’t likely to care about bystanders or collateral damage. And that meant keeping Eggsy would put her clan in danger. Harry apparently believed his clan could keep Eggsy from harm.

“I don’t have a choice, do I?” She sighed. She could feel the tears wanting to come. She cared about him a great deal, and she didn’t want to give him up. “Then I will sell him, but only to his father.”

“Actually,” Harry began, “I have an alternative solution. Officially, we’ll buy ‘Eggsy’ from you. The bill of sale will read whatever amount you paid for him. We’ll transfer that amount to you - call it collateral if you like. We’ll register him so there’s a clean papertrail for these mercenaries to follow. We have contacts in another clan; call them our sister-clan. They’ve agreed to buy him and leave a similar papertrail. They’ll list him as a runaway not long after. They’re too far away for that to be any threat to Eggsy.”

“And then?”

“We’ll keep him for a month.” Lee began. “That should give enough time for the mercenaries to accept that Eggsy is, indeed, gone from your clan and gone from ours. Once we’re certain that it’s safe, we’ll sell you ‘Sean’ for the price we paid. I would suggest registering him as ‘Sean’, even if you keep his name Eggsy. It will keep him from being connected to his old name.”

“I’ll agree under one condition.” She looked straight at Harry. “You. Don’t. Touch him.”

Harry nodded. “Done. I had no intention of it.”

He meant that, he truly did. He would not admit to them that the one, fleeting moment had been enough. Were it not for Lee and Michelle, he _would_ try and possess the young man and make Eggsy his in every way the Omega was willing to give him. He wanted to see Eggsy at his feet, not out of fear, but out of his own willingness to give himself up to Harry.

And it was for that reason Harry had no intention of touching Eggsy again. He knew himself well enough to know that he _would_ become territorial of Eggsy, beyond the Omega being part of the clan. He knew that just as well as he knew how it would be for Eggsy. He would respond to Harry more and more, and at the end of the month, he wouldn’t be so willing to return to Tilde.

He was about to excuse himself to go and check on the two Omegas when Michelle knocked. She opened the door enough to be seen, but without coming in. She had her well-practiced facade of the perfect Omega in place and her eyes lowered.

“The young Omega has finished his fitting, if you will come and inspect my work.”

Harry motioned for her to come in. “Bring him in. It’s safe. She’s… a lot like Lee.”

“Oh, thank God,” Michelle said with, no lack of disdain, as she dropped her facade. She hating playing the broken Omega and, to an extent, she hated the people who made it necessary.

She pushed the door open. Eggsy was beside her, their hands linked, but he was still a bit numb, a bit shocked, and his eyes were red from crying with his mother. His _mother_. He followed her into the room, almost letting her lead him and not letting go of her.

Tilde wanted to rush Michelle, to protect Eggsy, but she knew it wasn’t necessary. She knew who Michelle was to him and that he’d believed her to be dead for so long. Protecting him wasn’t needed right now.

Michelle let go of him when they reached his seat and went on to her own beside Lee. Tilde reached out for him and he took her hand, watching Michelle as he sat. He leaned over to Tilde after a moment and spoke so very softly.

“She’s my mum.”

“Mm, I know. And that’s your father beside her.”

Eggsy stared at Lee, and then looked between Lee and Michelle. He still didn’t know what to think. He wanted to stay with them for a while, spend time with them. He supposed he would be, for a while, at least. Assuming Harry _let_ them keep him.

Harry gave Michelle something of a longsuffering look. “You told him.”

“Of course I told him,” she said with a sour look. “If you expected otherwise, you’re a fool. Besides, he asked why Poppy would spend so much just to go after one Omega. How did you expect me to answer that one? ‘Oh, hm, gee I don’t know, Eggsy, but maybe Harry does’?”

Merlin made a derisive sound and Michelle glowered at him. He found order in hierarchy, and felt it somewhat unnatural that Michelle was treated more like a Beta than anything else. He and Lee were Harry’s subordinates, but he still ranked above Lee just as it should be. In two decades, he _had_ softened his views somewhat, but never to where Harry had. It had been a long standing point of contention between Merlin and Michelle.

“Why didn’t you want her tellin’ me? Did you just want them both to pretend they didn’t know me? What was that supposed to-”

“Yeh should watch your tone with the clan-father,” Merlin growled. “It isn’t your place to judge what he did or did not want you knowing.”

“And it isn’t your place,” Tilde said coldly, “to speak for _your_ Alpha nor to scold what is mine. Unless you want to claim you outrank your clan-father.”

Merlin had the good grace to look abashed at her words. “You’re right, of course. Harry, my apologies, and my apologies to you, as well, Ms. Alström.”

“I believe you’re forgetting someone.”

Michelle did her best to not show her amusement at this. But it was Merlin’s own fault for attempting to pull rank on Eggsy. She decided she liked this Alpha; maybe she could even trust her son’s safety to this one. Maybe.

Merlin grumbled. “My apologies, Eggsy.”

“If that’s settled then,” Harry began. “May I assume that when Michelle told you that she is your mother, she also told you what we’re planning?”

Eggsy nodded. “Yeah. You’re gonna buy me, sell me, then turn me into someone else. It sounds mad, but if it keeps them from-” he paused and looked at Tilde for a moment before continuing on. “-going through whoever they gotta just to get to me, it’ll be worth it.”

“So glad you agree,” Harry said somewhat dryly.

“I got one question though: who’s owning me while I’m here?” He gave Harry a very wary look. “Ain’t you, is it?”

Lee answered before Harry could. “No, you’ll be staying with your mother and I.” He looked at Harry, who was giving him a sidelong look. “He’s already agreed to stay away from you.”

Harry nodded but he said nothing. Maybe he could, at least, get Michelle alone long enough to tell her what happened. Before Lee did. Or Eggsy. He didn’t want a woman who could be as aggressive and territorial as an Alpha to find out he had, accidentally, discovered their compatibility.

Tilde looked between Lee and Michelle. They’d barely seen Eggsy, and they would only have a month before the terms of this agreement were up. What if they wanted to keep him? She would if it was her child.

“I have one other condition to this agreement,” she said after a long moment.

“Ye’ve already agreed to it.”

Harry waved him off. “And it is?”

“If at the end of the month, Eggsy wants to remain with his parents, I want him to be allowed to.

Eggsy shook his head. “Babe, no, I-” He cut himself off. He’d never actually called her that. He’d thought it plenty of times, but he’d never _called_ her that. And to do it here, of all places, with these judgmental as fuck Alphas, one of whom was probably going to quote some Omega rule at him…

He started again. “No, I’ll want to go back to you.”

“We won’t _want_ to give him up, not again and not so soon.” Michelle said softly. “And if he wants to stay, we’ll gladly keep him. But if he wants to go back to you, we won’t stop him. Harry and I, and yes Hamish, we’re territorial, but we’re not cruel.”

2

Tilde left without Eggsy, having taken back her clan’s medallion and left him in the - hopefully temporary - care of the Kingsman. Roxy went back with her, going back undercover, but this time to keep an eye on Tilde and the clan-mother’s house rather than spy. She told her parents that the tailor had been interested in Eggsy and had offered to buy him, that the money would be in her account by morning, and they would have a new Omega for her, if she found him agreeable, by the end of the month. She just hoped that he’d come back to her then.

Her parents were rather surprised. She had gotten along so well with the Omega that they’d assumed their worries over a mate were over. They were curious as to what had prompted Tilde to sell him, but she didn’t offer any explanation and they didn’t ask. So when Roxanne asked to stay on until the new Omega came, they allowed it.

3

“How deep does this fuckin’ thing go?” Eggsy asked, staring up as they went down, down, down in an elevator that had been hidden in a fitting room.

He was standing between Lee and Michelle, and she had her hand on his back. So far, she’d found herself just touching him whenever she could. It still wasn’t _real_ to her yet, and it made her realize that she’d just accepted that he was gone. That she never _would_ see him again.

“I asked Harry that the first time he brought me down here. His answer was ‘Deep enough’.” Lee said with something of a smirk. “I don’t think he knows how deep it is. It’s been here for 100-some-odd years. Harry has an entire speech that I’m sure he’d be willing to give you.”

“Is it just to keep your territory safe?”

Lee shook his head. “That _is_ part of it, but not the entirety of it. Our clan goes beyond just those of us who call ourselves Kingsman. There are those in other clans who are our agents, our contacts in other clans. To that effect, our agents are clan independant, which allows us to move where we need, when we need.”

Eggsy tipped his head slightly, looking at Lee curiously. “You lot are spies, is that it?”

“Most of us who are left, yes. There are those who, for whatever reason-”

“Because they’re Omegas.”

Lee paused. Michelle wasn’t entirely wrong. There were those who just didn’t have the right abilities, or personalities, or some other missing qualification. “For _whatever reason_ , are not. They remain unaware of what our clan began as.”

“So how come I get to know?”

Lee chuckled. “Aside from our living in the manor house? You’re my son and Michelle helps us from time to time. It would be difficult for you to not notice.”

Eggsy half-shrugged, tipping his head as he did so. So many people assumed that Omegas just saw nothing, or just didn’t understand what they _were_ seeing. Which brought up an interesting question.

“You know people just talk ‘bout shit when there’s Omegas around. You’d think we’d be better spies than Alphas. So why not let us in?”

“Tradition.” Michele said a bit sourly. “They send the Betas to do things that require someone to be seen but unseen.”

“We had an opening about ten years ago. Michelle wanted to try out. Chester, our clan-father before Harry, refused flat.” The lift stopped and Lee led them to their clan’s private underground. “Anyway, we’ll be there in a minute. I’ll show you around, but the places I tell you are off limits, _are_ off limits.”

Eggsy nodded. “Yeah, sure. I get it.”

He also got that he’d be exploring those forbidden places.

4

The tour ended in the apartment his parents lived in. It wasn’t the richest looking part of the manor, but it _was_ homey. It looked much more lived in and much less like a showroom than the other places he’d been shown. And their apartment smelled of just them, and something else; a scent that Eggsy had grown up knowing. Whelps had a smell all their own, one that overrode the smell of their blood, that stayed until they were four or five. To him, it was a calming smell; nothing had ever happened in front of them. There was too much unknown about what the child would be to risk terrorizing a potential Alpha.

“You got another kid.”

Michelle nodded. “Her sitter should be bringing her back in a few minutes. She’s two, and her name’s Daisy.”

That surprised him. Not that he had a sister, but that she had her own sitter. It was normal for a group of Omegas to take care of them all, at least he believed it was. He figured it must have been something Harry had done, since he doubted the previous clan-father would have done that.

Eggsy showed himself around the apartment. It was a nice sized place; three bedrooms. The extra one, the one he’d be staying in, didn’t feel to him like a guest room. It felt more like it had been waiting for him. There were pictures of Lee, Michelle, and Daisy. Next to it, was a picture of a much younger Lee and Michelle with a baby, with him. He _was_ a little jealous that Daisy would have the life that should have been his, but if he’d grown up with Lee and Michelle, would he have even known Tilde?

He could hear someone talking to his mum and figured that Daisy’s sitter had brought her back. He waited until the sitter was gone before going out to where his mum was, and he stopped still when he saw the little girl. She was babbling away at their mum.

Michelle saw Eggsy standing there and smiled at him. “I’ve got someone for you to meet, sweetheart.”

She motioned to Eggsy and Daisy turned all the way around to look at him.

“Hi! Who you!”

“I’m-” He hesitated. He’d been about to say ‘Eggsy’, but ‘Eggsy’ was supposed to be disappearing.

“Eggsy,” Michelle said before he could decide. “He’s your brother.”

Daisy walked over to him, her steps almost an excited hop. She held her arms up and clenched her tiny fingers. “Up.”

He picked her up and she hugged onto him, nuzzling his neck and smelling him. He held onto her, melting over the little girl in his arms. After a moment, he felt Michelle’s hand on his back. He already knew it would be hard to leave when the month was up.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry's a shit.  
> Eggsy's a shit.  
> Another Knight appears long enough to step in shit.

1

Eggsy had only been living with his parents for three days, but he’d already settled into it nicely. He’d found, that first morning, that he and Daisy woke up at about the same time. So he’d taken to getting her up and ready for her day; he’d get her dressed and fed, do her hair, and watch her until their parents got up. At night, he’d make sure she was clean and put her to bed. It was something normal and calming, and it helped with the change in surroundings. 

The days were his. The first two days he didn’t do much exploring of the building itself. Instead, he explored the huge grounds around it. He’d never been allowed to just be in such an open space. Mostly because they’d always known he’d try to run if given the chance; and it would have been too tempting of a chance to pass up.

But by the third day, those forbidden places in the manor house had become very tempting. There was one that wasn’t far from the apartment and it was out of the way. It had become especially tempting since Lee gave him no reason for why it was forbidden. And so the third day’s afternoon found him outside that room. He hadn’t been able to hear anyone inside, and when he tried the doorknob, it turned easily in his hand.

He hesitated before pushing it open. This was the exact sort of thing that got him beaten, and for the first time, he thought about just walking away. He didn’t think his dad would beat him over it, but it would upset him. But then he pushed the door open and went in anyway, because there was always a reason, always a beating.

It was a storage room. Everything was boxed up, everything nicely labeled with some shorthand that probably made sense to someone. There was a cluster of boxes that weren’t taped shut and had no code on them. Just a series of years and the name Arthur. Eggsy carefully pulled one of the flaps up to peek inside the box, and all he could see was a stack of files.

“My predecessor’s papers,” came Harry’s voice from the doorway.

Eggsy flinched but didn’t move. Caught. Had Harry been laying in fucking wait?

“I’ve gone through most of his personal effects. These are the last boxes I haven’t finished.”

Eggsy pushed the flaps back into place and turned to look at Harry. He tried to keep his face expressionless, but Harry could see the tension in it. Harry, in turn, did his best to keep his voice calm and even.

“Do you know why this room is out of bounds to you, Eggsy?”

“No.” He shrugged. His father hadn’t offered, so he hadn’t asked.

Harry arched his brow. Eggsy was tense, and standing defensively, as though he expected to be beaten. But he also had a defiant air about him. It dawned on Harry that this was who Eggsy was accustomed to being. Someone who knew they were going to be beaten anyway, so he may as well do the forbidden things. 

“We.” He paused, and then started again. “ _I_ wanted to see how long it would take you.”

Eggsy nodded; Harry _had_ been waiting for him to do it. He stared at the Alpha expectantly, waiting for what he thought would come next. But when it didn’t, when no threat was issued and no action taken, Eggsy worried. Because it was _always_ worse when they didn’t do something right away.

“And now that you know?”

“Normally, I’d say that I’ll be keeping an eye on you, but I suppose you’d take that as a threat.” Harry paused for a moment, trying to find a non-threatening way of expressing his thoughts. “I have a particular interest in you, Eggsy. I think you’re intelligent and capable. You’ve shown loyalty to Ms. Alström.”

Eggsy eyed him warily. “Are you tryin’ ta… I don’t know, get me interested in you? Cos it ain’t workin’.”

Harry quirked his brow. “Well, I _am_ attempting to proposition you, however not in a sexual manner.”

“In what manner then?”

“You know the off-limit areas. I want you to get into them, find Hamish’s office, and break in. If you caught or decide you don’t want to do this, the test is over and there will be no others. As proof of a successful break in, I want you to remain there until he arrives.”

Eggsy rolled his eyes. “So basically you punish me for this, or he punishes me for that.”

Harry shook his head. “No. I wanted to see if you’d come in here, ergo this isn’t any offense. Hamish will either bring you to myself or to your father. And Lee is aware that if Hamish brings you to him, then he is to bring you to me. As this is something I’ve proposed, there is still no offense.”

Eggsy didn’t trust the idea that he could break the rules and not get beaten, but it was going to happen either way, and if he took Harry up on his offer, he’d get to explore all these forbidden places. 

“All right. I’m in.”

Harry smiled, looking pleased. It made Eggsy feel weak in the knees; it made him want to make that happen more. He didn’t know much about the whole compatibility thing, but he was getting the impression that it was more than just… being compatible. 

“Do I have a time limit or anything?”

Harry shook his head. “This one does not, however if you complete this, others in the future will.”

Eggsy nodded. “I’ll go now, then.”

2

Harry went back to his office. There were some big differences between being a field agent and an Alpha, and being head of the organization and clan-father. One of those differences: paperwork. Reporting on a mission had been one thing; this was the other end of it. And he really wouldn’t have minded a distraction from it, had that distraction been anyone other than a clearly unhappy Hamish.

“What can I do for you, Merlin?”

“Yeh’ve been avoiding me since Eggsy came here.”

Harry sighed. He’d been avoiding this entire situation since it happened. He knew he should have spoken with Michelle, with Lee, with Hamish, before it had all come out. He didn’t often shirk his responsibility, but this one he simply hadn’t wanted to touch.

“Yes.” He didn’t bother denying it. He’d been finding reasons to work late, to be away from the manor house, to be anywhere but near Hamish unless they were speaking as Arthur and Merlin. “And I shouldn’t have been.”

“How sure are you about him?”

“Completely.” Harry tipped his head back slightly. “I was just speaking with him. He’s interested in the actual Kingsman program. I stayed back from him and we only spoke on that, but I could still feel the urge to possess him. And I had the impression he could feel it, too.”

Hamish ran a hand over his smooth head. ‘Compatible’ was both a polite term and an accurate one. Omegas and Alphas or Betas who were compatible had the same needs when it came to sex. Statistically, it had to be more prevalent than it seemed, but too few Omegas had the option of seeking out someone they could create that bond with. It was a type of mating bond, one that wasn’t normally triggered between near strangers, and one that ended in one of two ways: the Alpha or Beta and the Omega bonded and remained together, or it was forcibly broken.

It was a physical and instinctual reaction, one difficult to break in the best of times. Harry was trying to break it; Eggsy wasn’t his to possess, nor did he want to be. But Harry didn’t actually _want_ to break it, and that was making it more difficult than it already was. 

“You haven’t had an Omega since before we got together. And you realize that this will cause a problem for you and I.”

Harry eyed him for a moment. When he spoke, his voice revealed nothing of whatever he was thinking or feeling. “How so?”

Hamish let out an annoyed sound. “There’s a fundamental difference in how we look at Omegas, to begin with.”

Harry nodded. Hamish looked at them as second class, and believed they needed that. Michelle was, in his mind, an exception. Harry didn’t see them the same way Lee did, but he was closer to Lee than Hamish. He didn’t consider them actual equals, if even he thought he did, but he did believe they needed the control of an Alpha or a Beta. Not as a slave or a servant, but the control of a dominant who looked after their needs and wants.

“There’s also the fact that Eggsy and I can’t get along.”

“Can’t or won’t?”

Hamish looked a bit exasperated with Harry. “He’s not respectful, he’s willful, he’s arrogant.”

Harry smirked just a bit. “You mean I have a type.”

Hamish gave him a sour look. He was not going to be mollified right now. “I’m respectful, thank you.”

“It’s a moot point anyway, at the-”

“No, Harry. It isn’t.”

Harry seemed taken aback by that. “How is it not?”

“Harry, you’re dominant. I’m dominant. We manage to make it work, but yer the type that _needs_ an Omega. It might not be Eggsy, but eventually this will be an issue.”

Harry nodded. He was right, of course. “And when that happens, we’ll deal with it, darling. You’re too important to me.”

“You-”

“And I promise you,” Harry said overriding him, “that the next time something like this happens, we’ll talk about it then.”

Hamish wanted to stay mad, but it was hard to when Harry not only knew the right things to say, but meant them. He sighed, giving in and letting his anger fade. He went over to Harry and kissed him.

“You are right, though. You _do_ have a type.”

3

Eggsy wandered around the corridors, checking out the doors into the forbidden areas as he walked by them. They all required a pass card to get in. He fell in step a bit behind one technician and pulled his medallion out so it would lay on his shirt. When she went through one of the doors, he caught it before it closed and slipped in.

He kept his eyes lowered and shoulders down. It wasn’t long before he saw a door labeled Personnel Records. There was a young man working in there, a Beta judging by his size and scent. He saw Eggsy, his eyes flickering to the medallion, and he wasn’t overly concerned.

“Need something?”

“Um, yeah. Father’s going through one of his predecessor’s boxes of files and needs me to pull a few things.”

The clerk nodded. “You need me to get them for you?”

Eggsy shook his head, affecting a reassuring smile. “Oh, no, but thank you. He told me to do it, not to have someone else do it.”

He nodded and went over to a caged door. He unlocked it and showed Eggsy inside. Eggsy did not want to follow him. The only thing that moved him was knowing that if he did and if he pulled this off, he’d be one up on Hamish. Once he was inside, the Beta handed him the key.

“Terminal’s there. Physical record codes are all listed. Most of them are in the computers. If you need to print something off, let me know.”

“I’ll do that. Thank you for your help.”

The clerk left him be and Eggsy leaned against the wall, breathing heavily now the the clerk was out of sight. He had the key. He could get out easily. He told himself that over and over, but it didn’t help. Calm came slowly, and he tried to not rush it. Once he was calm enough to work, he got on the terminal, and mentally thanked Tilde for letting him have one, even if it was different.

It took him awhile, and all the time he was listening for the clerk to come check up on him, but he managed to pull up a list of current agents. Right at the top were the entries for Arthur and Merlin. Below that was a list that started with Gawain, and then everything below was alphabetized. It wasn’t hard to put together that Harry was Arthur, not when that was his predecessor’s codename.

He pulled up Merlin’s file, and was pleased when he saw the information for Hamish. It hadn’t been that big of a leap, really. Hamish had been seated to Harry’s right, so he was probably right up there with him. He scanned the records until he found the office number he wanted.

Then he pulled up Gawain. He hadn’t been wrong about that being his dad’s codename. It made sense, given the listing style. He scanned the file, and saw at the bottom that his mother’s name was in the file, listing her as his courier and giving her similar access to his dad. It had her age and description. With a grin, he pulled Arthur’s file up.

He found the box where he’d found his mother’s information on his dad’s file, and added the name Sean Hart to it, and giving similar details to what his mother had. He just hoped that Harry had at least started to get word around about bringing in an Omega named Sean, and that it wouldn’t be questioned that Harry had brought in the Omega for himself. He told it to save and a message popped up.

“Changes will be marked as PENDING until approved by ARTHUR or MERLIN.”

He shrugged. It would have to be good enough. Before leaving, he opened one of the file boxes and pulled the three biggest folders out of it. He locked up and went back out to the clerk.

“Do I need to sign anything for this?” he asked, handing the key back.

“Yeah.” He slid a form over to him. “Just name, date, and the file numbers.”

Eggsy filled that out. “Thank you again.”

He left and found his way to security. There was a burly looking Beta in the office and he looked a lot more concerned about a strange Omega in there than the clerk had.

“I’m sorry to bother you. Arthur needed me to bring these files to Merlin, but I don’t have a passkey yet and he didn’t give me his.”

The guard scowled at him and grunted, “Name.”

“Sean Hart, sir.”

He typed the name into the terminal and read what he saw. He looked between Eggsy and the information in the file several times to confirm that the description in the file. He saw that it was marked pending for Arthur, and nearly called him, but then shrugged it off. If the Omega was so new that he didn’t have a passcard yet, it wasn’t that shocking that his information was still listed as pending.

“I’m not giving you a permanent pass. Arthur’ll have to come with you for that. I’ll make you one coded for today.”

Eggsy gave him a very appreciative look. “Oh, thank you. I was starting to worry that I’d have to go back and tell him I couldn’t do the one thing he asked me to do.”

The guard rolled his eyes and muttered something about ‘fucking Omegas’ while he typed. He motioned Eggsy over to a camera and took a photo for the temporary passcard. It took a couple minutes for the pass to print off and cool, and then Eggsy was on his way again.

It took him longer to find Merlin’s office than it had to get the passcard, but once he did, he got inside without the least bit of trouble. Eggsy’s first thought was that it looked less like an office and more like a command station. He realized that probably wasn’t too far off.

He laid the files down on the desk, sat back in Merlin’s chair, and got one of the televisions off of the news and onto a documentary. He knew it was probably boring to most people, but he’d been denied information and knowledge all his life. Now that he could have it, he wanted as much as he could.

He was about 45 minutes into it when he heard, “What in the Hell are _yeh_ doing in here?”

Eggsy turned enough in the chair to grin at the Alpha. “Watching telly. What’s it look like?”

Merlin turned a shade of red that Eggsy had seen Dean turn a few times. This beating was going to be _so_ worth it.

“And _how_ did yeh get in here?” Merlin growled.

Eggsy held up the passcard, his grin widening. “Through the door.”

“Through the-” Merlin stammered, looking at the passcard, the file folders, and then at Eggsy. “Up. Come with me”

Eggsy got up, still grinning, and followed him. He wasn’t sure his feet even touched the ground on the way to Harry’s office. He didn’t even bother trying to hide his combination of pride and amusement when he was in there.

“Is something the matter?” Harry asked, oh so innocently.

“He was in my office, sitting at my desk.”

“You don’t say.” Harry turned his attention to Eggsy. “And how did you get in there?”

Eggsy started from following the woman in through the door. At both the parts about the personnel office and security, Harry stopped him and called those offices. He spoke to both men for just a few minutes, just enough to verify that, yes, ‘Sean’ had been there for him.

He sat back and just watched Eggsy for a few moments after before saying, “Good job, Eggsy.”

Eggsy thought Merlin might explode. But all the Alpha said was, “Excuse me? ‘Good job’?”

Harry nodded. “Yes. Eggsy very easily infiltrated our security and got into your office, and was alone in there for, how long?”

“Most of an hour.”

“No alarm risen, no one questioning it.”

Merlin shook his head. “Clearly, we need tighter security.”

Harry shook his head. “We have the same, if not better, security than other clans.”

Merlin rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Arthur, you’re not actually suggesting-”

“Oh, of course not. An Omega in the training program?” Harry shook his head. “Our people may be good about not talking, but something like _that_ would get around.”

“Then what-”

“Private training, of course. You and I will, quietly, train Eggsy to be a Knight.”

Merlin said nothing for a long time. Eggsy knew he’d say no, and that it would come down to Harry, rather Arthur, having to pull rank. And that probably meant that Arthur would have to taken over most of his training, something which Eggsy didn’t want to admit pleased him.

“Alright.”

Eggsy started and looked over at him. “Alright?”

“That’s what I said. Arthur isn’t wrong about the benefit of Omegas in our ranks,” he grudgingly admitted. “It’s just never been allowed before.”

“Well then,” Harry said as he stood, “tomorrow you and I will go get you a permanent passcard, and we’ll start your training.”

Eggsy’s grin changed into something softer. He felt a thrill at the idea of training with Harry. He wanted it to be for more than just this ‘compatible’-whatever nonsense. He wanted it to be because someone actually believed in him, and _just_ for that.

But oh, it wasn’t.

4

Over the next week, Eggsy started on a condensed version of Kingsman training. They only had a month with him, and Harry had a mission in mind that would only work if Eggsy was trained, at least to some extent. And so far, Harry had not been disappointed.

Eggsy’s weapon scores were good; if he was able to keep up his training, he could be as good as any of them. His test scores were not the best, but he’d been kept intentionally uneducated. Given how far behind in everything Eggsy was, Harry was pleased by the start.

The thing he was having the most trouble with was hand-to-hand. He’d been taught for so long how dangerous it was to attack someone of a higher rank. The fallout from attacking Charlie had only cemented that fear.

“No, again!” Merlin snapped at Eggsy.

He’d been drilling the Omega for the last hour. Harry had taken Gaheris into their confidence, so that Merlin could have someone other than himself or Harry to train Eggsy. Harry felt it best if he didn’t physically involve himself.

“You need to stop holding back.”

Eggsy nodded. He _knew_ that, but there were too many years of training to do it so quickly.

Gaheris sniffed derisively. “You and Arthur had a decent idea, Merlin, but face it. Omegas just aren’t made for this.”

“Take a break,” he snapped at Gaheris. He’d put aside his own feelings about an Omega agent and he expected the others to do so, as well. There was good logic in having them.

He went over to Eggsy. “Ye hold back with me, yer likely to be in the infirmary. So **don’t** hold back.”

He rushed Eggsy, and Eggsy held his own nicely for a time. After a while, the Omega started grinning, clearly enjoying this and still managing to keep from being hit all too often. But he was losing ground quickly, and he knew he needed to stop Merlin from pushing him back.

He waited until Merlin had most of his weight on one foot, and stuck out to sweep his legs out from under him. It worked, but Merlin pulled Eggsy down with him. As they vied for dominance, Eggsy felt that need to submit to him. He tried to not hold back even then, but once Merlin got the clear upper hand, Eggsy went limp under him.

He was breathing hard and staring up at the Alpha. It felt so… so _right_ for Merlin to win, for him to force Eggsy into a submissive position. Although, force wasn’t exactly the word; force implied some level of fear. But while they’d been sparring and then tussling, he’d felt no fear of Merlin. It was as if he knew he was safe, as if he could submit and still be protected.

“Oh, for the love of fuck.” Merlin got to his feet and helped Eggsy up. “You smell Harry on me, don’t you?” He looked over at the other agent and called to him. “Gaheris, take over.”

Gaheris sauntered over to Eggsy. He hadn’t heard what Merlin had said to Eggsy, but he’d _seen_ what had happened. They started sparring and he managed to get the upper hand easily. He could tell that the Omega was holding back again and took advantage of it. He managed to get behind Eggsy and get an arm around his neck. The Omega slowly went to his knees and to the ground, but he never stopped struggling. And then he felt Gaheris’ lips nearly on his ear.

“This is why you’re holding back. You _like_ it. And that’s why you’ll never make it.”

Eggsy felt anger boiling in the pit of his stomach. He was smaller, he was weaker, and apparently things like sparring made him want to submit, although that hadn’t happened with Gaheris. He needed to get out of the chokehold and make the Beta eat his fucking words.

So he went limp.

Gaheris laughed when he felt the Omega stop struggling and loosened his hold. Eggsy put his hands on Gaheris’ arm, almost caressing it. The hold loosened more, enough that Eggsy pushed the arm up and bite him. Hard. He tasted blood and heard Gaheris scream. The Beta jerked his arm, and Eggsy let go of him. He got to his knees and spun, feeling the grass beneath him tear and the cool, damp earth being pressed into his trousers. As he spun, he pulled his fist back and, once face to face with the agent, let it fly. He connected squarely between the Beta’s eyes and heard a deep, and rather satisfying, _thunk_. The agent’s eyes rolled up and he went down, out cold.

He was shaking, his mouth bloody and his fist still up. It took him a moment to realize he was growling, and then another to realize he’d knocked the Beta out. He slowly got to his feet, wiping the blood off his lips.

“Very. Um, very good thought, Eggsy.”

Eggsy looked over at Merlin. “Thought?”

“You _were_ using the fact that you’re an Omega against him, weren’t you? That he was expecting to win?”

Eggsy shook his head. “No, he…” Eggsy spat. It was bright red with Gaheris’ blood. “I don’t like... being forced. I don’t fucking _like it_!”

Merlin was more than a little taken aback by the venom in Eggsy’s voice, and the pain. Tears had welled up and spilled, and Merlin wasn’t sure if they were tears of rage, or pain, or humiliation. Or everything.

His own words of it being Hesketh’s right to treat Eggsy however he chose came back to him. Except for losing Eggsy, Michelle’s wounds hadn’t been nearly so raw when she’d come to them. So the ideas behind that right had remained mostly academic and as nothing too major for Omegas. 

But now it _wasn’t_ just academic. It wasn’t just the nightmares one Omega had. He was seeing a very fresh wound and the pain that came with it. And it hit him, very hard, that he’d been fine with this for so long. Because it was normal. Because it was their _natural_ state.

He’d never thought…

“Eggsy,” Merlin kept his voice calm and neutral as he approached him. “Come with me. We’re done for the day.”

He carefully put an arm around Eggsy’s shoulders, ready to take it back if the Omega went to attack him. Eggsy was keyed up; he wouldn’t blame him for attacking. But Eggsy just collapsed against him.

He guided Eggsy back into the building and quietly sent the first person he passed to fetch Gaheris. He brought Eggsy back to the apartment he and Harry shared. Only then did Eggsy react, making a soft and frightened sound.

“No, no, it’s alright. Nothing’s going to happen to you. Lee and Michelle are both on duty still and ye need lookin’ after right now.”

He got Eggsy on the couch, and left him long enough to put the kettle on and get a blanket. He wrapped Eggsy up and sat with him. The Omega was silent, just holding the blanket tightly around himself. Merlin heard the kettle and made Eggsy a cup of chamomile tea.

Eggsy took the cup when offered and took a few, short sips of it. “Maybe I’m _not_ cut out for this,” he said finally.

“I think you more than are.”

Eggsy looked at him for a moment and then went back to his tea. 

“If you can learn to bring that rage out when you need it, and to use their expectations against them, I’ve no doubt you’ll take them down every time.”

He drank his tea silently until it was gone. He held the cup for a few moments more before setting it down on the end table. “It wasn’t Harry’s scent.”

“What?”

“You said I could smell Harry on you. It wasn’t that. When you were on me, I just…” He shook his head. “I _wanted_ you to win. I _wanted_ to submit to you. It was the same feeling I got with Harry, but without him and without… I don’t know, ending up so deep in that mindset?”

Merlin stared at him flatly. “Eggsy, you’ve just had a rather major upset, and Harry is my _mate_ , so you’re going to-”

“It was before the upset and I haven’t reacted like that any other time it’s just been Harry’s scent.” After a moment, he continued on quietly. “I don’t. I don’t really understand it, but I like it. I like the feeling of being free to give up my control and know that I won’t be harmed, and that I’ll be safe.”

“You’re saying you don’t… understand what’s happening?”

Eggsy nodded. “I mean, I’ve heard Omegas talk about it before. I thought it was a load of shit, really. I mean, wanting someone to have you? That’s. Well. It sounds like somethin’ you’d hear from someone utterly broken,”

“It’s a bit more than that. It’s…” Merlin groaned inwardly at how little Omegas were apparently taught. “It’s a mating bond. It’s, well, instinctual and hormonal. Something about Harry and I has, for lack of a better term, resonated in you. And Harry.”

“But not you?”

Merlin opened his mouth to speak and then didn’t.

“And _also_ you.”

Merlin ran a hand over his head. “You belong to Tilde. You belong _with_ her.”

Eggsy nodded. “Yeah. And I belong with the two of you, too.” He leaned back on the couch, letting the blanket fall open. “Can someone even do that? Or have that?”

“Two mating bonds and a third love?” Merlin shrugged. “I suppose if two Alphas can be together, it’s possible.”

“Good,” he said as he leaned against Merlin.

The tea was doing its job, and Eggsy was feeling fuzzy and tired. He’d still be asleep against Merlin when Harry got home. And while Eggsy slept, Merlin quietly called Lee to let him know where Eggsy was, and that he owed Michelle one Hell of an apology.

Change doesn’t come fast, but every so often something happens to force it. And then things become confused and disheveled as the change is assimilated. He knew it would take time, but he’d realized Harry was right. And that was, at least, a step.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let the games begin.  
> Also, Merlin is a shit.

1

Harry just stared at Merlin and the sleeping Omega cuddled up to him. Merlin half-shrugged. Harry shook his head after a minute, shrugged out of his suit jacket, and hung it up. He pulled his tie loose, and then off before unbuttoning the top two buttons of his shirt. He sat in the easy chair and just watched Eggsy sleep.

“What happened?” he asked softly after a few minutes.

Merlin told him, just as quietly. Harry bristled when hearing about what had been said to Eggsy and how he reacted to it. He was not sorry in the least that Eggsy had knocked the Knight cold. But then Merlin said something he just didn’t know what to do with.

“And then he asked if it was even possible to have that bond with two Alphas but still be with a third.”

Harry sat back and leaned on his hand, his thumb and first two fingers alone touching his face. “How long has he been asleep?”

“About an hour.”

Harry got up and kissed Merlin briefly, quietly telling him that he'd be back. He grabbed his suit jacket and went out of the apartment to make a call on his way back to the tailor shop. It was brief, but the answer was exactly what he expected. Once at the tailor shop, he got two glasses, and poured a drink into his. He was half-way through it when Tilde arrived. He stood to greet her and then poured her a drink.

“Has something happened?”

“In a way, yes.”

She watched him expectantly, not touching the drink he poured. She watched him take a rather sizable drink from his own before setting it down and sighing.

“Were you aware that Eggsy didn’t know much about mating bonds?”

Tilde bit her lip. “Yes. I thought I’d have more time to explain it to him. Preferably after the intensity of it wound down a bit.”

“Hamish learned that tonight. Apparently he and Eggsy are also compatible.” Harry paused for a moment. “I suppose that isn’t entirely surprising; he _is_ my mate.”

Tilde’s face darkened and she glared at him. “I see.”

“Hamish has explained it to him, and Eggsy.” How to explain this part?

“Oh, let me guess. You and your Alpha _mate_ decided to force the issue and now he conveniently wants to stay.”

Harry didn’t blame her for being angry. Not at all. He’d agreed to not touch Eggsy, and he hadn’t. But it hadn’t helped.

“No. He feels as though he belongs with all three of us, and has asked how possible that could be.”

Harry kept his tone as neutral as possible. Tilde owned Eggsy; if she wanted, she could demand his return whatever he felt. And she had also been there first. He and Merlin were the intruders into her territory.

“I want to see him.”

He nodded. “This way, then.”

He led her outside, locking the door behind them, and brought her to his waiting car and driver. They were silent on the drive back; Tilde was troubled and angry, Harry was just letting her be. She followed him to the apartment and he led her inside.

Eggsy was awake and drinking water. There was a little plate on the end table; Merlin had gotten him something to eat. He lit up when he saw Tilde. He met her half-way and they kissed. And kissed. She ran her hands over him and he just held onto her.

“I didn’t know you were coming.”

Tilde looked at Harry and then Merlin. “Neither did I.”

Eggsy took a half-step back from her, eying her uncertainly. She sounded annoyed. More than annoyed. He looked between Merlin, Harry, and Tilde. And it hit him.

“They told you what I said.”

And she was angry about it.

“Harry did, yes.” She put her hands on his face. “Eggsy, if they did anything…”

He shook his head. “No. I mean, I guess no more than what I guess happens with these kinds of things.”

She frowned thoughtfully. There were things she knew she couldn’t give him. The sort of dominance an Alpha could give was, or it seemed to her, a lovely thing when done right. And if he’d discovered that he needed that, what could she really do?

“Babe, I know. I know you want me to have choices, but whatever you want me to do, I’ll do. An Alpha with three Omegas probably wouldn’t be an issue, but an Omega with three Alphas…” He trailed off for a second. “Whatever you want. You want me to come back right now, even despite the danger, I’ll do it. And you’ll never hear a complaint from me about it.”

Tilde felt like crying. She’d known he loved her. They’d never said it, but she’d known just the same. But there were things she couldn’t really do for him. She could never be an Alpha for him. And if that was something he needed…

“I suppose," she said finally, "there’s room for talk."

Eggsy grinned and took both of her hands. He led her to the easy chair. Once she sat, he sat on the arm, leaning against her. Harry took a seat beside Merlin. No one said anything for a bit. Eggsy wanted to, but he didn’t want to push. He’d meant it when he told Tilde he’d do what she wanted, and he didn’t want her to decide against it because her Omega wasn’t being a Good Omega.

“I think it’s safe to say,” Harry began, “that this is a very unusual situation. For instance, should we agree to this, how do we decide where he goes and when. There are a number of things we’d need to discuss.”

“That can come later,” Tilde said. “I think the main question here is, can this even work?”

Harry looked at Merlin, and the two of them had something of a silent conversation. They'd had to consider that very thing when it had come to their relationship. After a moment, Merlin nodded and Harry looked back to Tilde.

“We’re willing to try. I would suggest we all take this slow, and have total transparency of what’s happening until we’re all certain we’re comfortable with this.”

Tilde nodded. “Agreed.”

They talked for hours. Not all of it was hammering out details of how this trial period would run. Most of it was the three Alphas getting to know each other. They were hesitant at first and doing the verbal equivalent of sniffing around each other. But they started to loosen up eventually.

Eggsy got them drinks as needed, and eventually something to eat. Each time he brought them something, they thanked him and it sent a little thrill through him. He normally hated doing this sort of thing; it was too much playing the servant. He liked doing it for them, though. He liked taking care of what they needed.

2

Four days later, after more private discussions between the three Alphas, they decided to give this trial period a test. Tilde again met Harry at the tailor shop and he brought her to the manor house. Tilde looked around the main room of the apartment curiously.

“Where’s Hamish today?”

“Around,” Harry said with a smile. “He thought it might be best if, to start, it was just you and I, and Eggsy.”

“Best for you, for me, or for Eggsy?”

“Yes.” Harry said, his smile turning a bit impish. “And for him, as well.”

He led her to the study and motioned for her to wait at the door. He opened it enough to be seen. Eggsy was sitting inside on a cozy little sofa. He saw Harry and nearly stood up, but stopped and laughed just a little. The aborted movement made Harry smile slowly.

“Have you moved at all?”

Harry had dropped his voice half of a register, deeping it and making it something of a predatory growl. It sent a shiver through Tilde and it took every ounce of her training to not react more than that.

“Except for now, no.”

“Very good, Eggsy.”

He pushed the door the rest of the way open and let Tilde in first. Eggsy very clearly wanted to get up and greet her, but he didn’t. Harry put a hand on her arm before she could go over to Eggsy.

“I told him that if he didn’t move while I was gone, he could have a reward. Would you care to do the honors or shall I?”

Tilde tilted her head slightly at Harry before grinning. She sauntered over to Eggsy and leaned over to kiss him. She felt his hands on her and she pulled back just enough to speak.

“Nn, nn. I don’t think anyone said move.”

He started to make a sound - either to speak or laugh - but she covered his mouth with hers again he fell silent. Kissing her without moving, without touching her, without anything that had been so relaxing between them was so very different. A very _good_ different.

She slipped her hand down his shirt and to his trousers, and gave him a not-entirely-gentle squeeze. She more felt than heard his quiet, rumbly moan. When she pulled away this time, his color was high and he was staring at her, wide-eyed and his lips still parted.

Harry was behind them, smirking. He knew Eggsy wouldn’t have had many, if _any_ , instances of being touched where it was about making him feel good. And the look on Eggsy’s face, the slightly dazed look in his eyes, gave him a burst of pleasure. Of course, it also made him want to throw the Omega down and just fuck him until he came and came and came.

It would happen eventually, and he was patient.

“Tilde, why don’t you sit here?” He motioned to the other end of the couch, well outside of Eggsy’s reach. He sat across from them. “I think, before anything really happens, that some ground rules should be set.”

That dazed, oh so fuckable look, vanished from Eggsy’s face. The idea that Harry, Tilde, and Merlin would need them amongst themselves made sense to him. But why he should be involved in the conversation was lost on him.

“Yes, I mean with you, Eggsy.”

“With me…? Why? I mean, you tell me what to do, and I do it. You wanna fuck me, you do it. Yeah, I don’t exactly wanna be beaten, but I figure I won’t make you need to do that.”

Harry gave him a patient smile. “That’s exactly why we need ground rules. Not so you know how to avoid being beaten. I think I can safely speak for the three of us when I say that such a thing is not going to happen.”

The last five words turned into something of a growl. He already thought of Eggsy as his, even if he knew Eggsy, first and foremost, belonged to Tilde. And he was fiercely territorial.

“And I think we can all assume you haven’t had much experience with Alphas who want you to feel good.” Tilde said. “We don’t want you doing things because _we_ want you to; we want you doing things because you do, as well. Do you know things you like or don’t like?”

Eggsy shook his head. This had become the strangest day of his life and he felt as if he was reeling from it all. “No, I mean. Well. No.”

“Tell me what you mean.”

Harry’s voice had gone to that deeper tone. Eggsy shivered. It was so hard to not do what Harry said when his voice sounded like that. He figured Harry knew it, too.

“It’s not like when someone’s making you do something you can just go, ‘oh, I like that’. It’s. It’s really hard to judge when you’re afraid.”

Harry nodded. “Good, Eggsy. You were very good to say that. And that is why your first rule is this: any time we’re doing anything and you find yourself nervous or afraid, whether or not we’ve noticed and whether or not we’re enjoying ourselves, you _will_ say something. Right then.”

“But if you’re enj-”

“Right. Then.”

Harry's voice had lost that seductive sound. It wasn't angry, but it was firmly and deeply serious. Eggsy just stared at him for the longest time. Then he looked at Tilde, and then back to Harry. The idea that he was supposed to enjoy it had been strange; the idea that he was supposed to enjoy it _all the time_ was so alien that he couldn’t understand it.

“I’ll tell you right then.” He sounded so uncertain. “Promise.”

Tilde slid across the couch and kissed his lips. “Good.” She slid back before he could do anything.

“Second: when appropriate, you will answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ with our names. Does that sound good for you?”

Eggsy grinned and sighed contentedly. “Yes, Harry.”

Harry smirked at him. He hadn’t been oblivious to how Eggsy had been the other night, how he’d been essentially waiting on them all and being very pleased with it. He’d thought Eggsy would like that as a rule.

Tilde and Harry shared a look, and Harry nodded.

“Come here, Eggsy.”

“Yes, Tilde.”

He all but bounced up. It was such a little thing, such a simple thing. But saying it made him feel so, so… so _cared_ for. He would always have their names on his lips, and not out of fear. It was like a constant reminder that he served them out of want, out of _desire_.

She couldn’t help but giggle a bit at his delight. “I want you to kneel and unbutton the top of your shirt.”

He did as she said, staring up at her once he was on his knees. She reached into her pocket and brought out a long, thin box. Inside was a gold chain; the links were small but not delicate. She put it on him, but kept the undone clasp in the front. Once linked, it would be just long enough to rest over his heart.

“We know you have to wear the medallion to be safe. But we want you to wear this to show that you’re ours.”

She put a pendant on the necklace. It was a cursive ‘T’, with little diamonds going down the center of it. She closed the clasp and kissed him. Harry called him over, and repeated the process with Eggsy. He added a small, spherical pendant to the necklace before adding a pendant of his own. His was a cursive ‘H’, with diamonds across the band and a small, silver heart attached.

Eggsy saw this and tried to stifle the laughter that was trying to bubble up. Harry gave him what was plainly a mock exasperated look.

“You aren’t laughing at me, now are you?” He asked. His tone was light, teasing.

It only made Eggsy laugh harder. “No, Harry Hart, not at all. It’s very you.”

He waited until Eggsy’s laughter had passed. It was a rare thing to see from him and Harry wanted to encourage it.

“Hamish will, of course, add his own.”

“Can I… Can I wear it over my shirt sometimes?”

Harry stroked his cheek. “You may wear it over your shirt anytime you like.”

Eggsy touched the letters, tracing them with his fingers. Tilde, Harry, and Merlin had given him a lot of things he never thought he’d have, choices and his freedoms being the most precious of them. But this. This was an expensive thing. And they had given it to him because he was theirs. He was worth that to them.

He looked at them like they had given him the very stars

3

That afternoon, Eggsy had another hand-to-hand session. Merlin knew that neither he nor Harry would be a good choice, and after the last incident with Gaheris, well, he wasn’t too keen on having the Knight sparring with Eggsy again. At least, not at this time. He’d settled on a Knight who Eggsy wouldn’t react to as he had to either Merlin himself, or to Gaheris.

“Wait, wait, _wait_.” Eggsy was staring between Merlin and Gawain, shaking his head. “No. I. _No_.”

Merlin smirked at the reaction. “Yeh object to this?”

“Yes. For one, that’s my fuckin’ dad. For two, maybe you forgot, but he does own me right now.”

“Neither of us have forgotten that,” Lee said, slowly and with clear amusement. “I suppose either you’ll have to accept that you’re going to fight someone you’re not allowed to or end up in hospital. And I’d really rather not have to tell Michelle that _I_ put you there.”

“You’re both mental!”

Lee shrugged and gave Eggsy no choice. Eggsy again had the problem of holding back and letting his opponent gain ground on him. He could all but feel the displeased look Merlin must be giving him.

It’s a hard thing, overcoming a lifetime of training, and fifteen days was hardly enough time to do it. But he _wanted_ this. His mum had been denied it outright because of tradition, and no one believed he _could_. Even Eggsy had his doubts that he could.

But he finally struck at Lee, holding back as little as he could manage. He pushed the Knight’s arm across his own body, and followed through with a punch that connected solidly with Lee’s jaw. With Lee off balance, he grabbed the Knight’s arm and twisted to the side. Eggsy used the momentum to twist Lee’s arm up behind him and bring him down to the ground.

“Very good.”

Eggsy distantly heard Merlin. Everything in him wanted to freeze up, and he knew if that happened, the fight would be over. He let go of Lee’s arm and wrapped his own arm around the Knight’s neck. He brought his other arm up, locking his hand in place with it, and putting that hand behind Lee’s head. Almost immediately, Lee tapped on Eggsy’s arm and the Omega let go and backed away from him.

“Yeah, really good.” Lee said, getting up and rubbing his neck. “Efficient way to kill someone.”

“I was ju…”

“You were just doing what you needed to in order to win.” Lee grinned at him and clapped a hand on his shoulder. “It’s good. I’m _happy_ about this. If Harry does actually make you a Knight, you’re going to need to be able to fight Betas _and_ Alphas.”

A slow smile formed on Eggsy’s face. 

“I think Harry and I can come up with a system of rewards for him, ta help enforce this.”

Lee nodded, either not seeing or ignoring the way Eggsy’s eyes had widened. “That’s actually a good idea. It should help him break that training easier. Although I’ve a feeling Eggsy’s had enough for one day.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Merlin said. “Eggsy, you come with me and we’ll discuss this.”

4

Once they were alone, Eggsy rounded on Merlin.

“Why would you? What? That was my _dad_ you said that to!”

Merlin’s expression did not change. “I hardly said I was going to fuck yeh. I just said a system of rewards. Unless you mean to say that’s the only reward you can think of.”

“I…” Eggsy just stared at him for a long while. “You fucking did that on purpose.”

Merlin affected a look of innocence. It was about as believable as Harry’s own. “Did I now?”

He gave Eggsy a few moments to not-quite-sulk before grabbing him by the shirt and forcing him against the wall. He leaned against Eggsy, pinning him in place.

“You ought to learn to control your tongue, before someone else does.”

He didn’t give Eggsy time to speak before roughly kissing him. He forced his Omega’s mouth open, not just tasting him, but devouring him. Eggsy had a moment’s startle at the suddenness of it before giving into it and sliding his arms up around Merlin’s neck.

When he broke the kiss, Merlin smirked at Eggsy. “Rewarding enough?”

“Oh, yes. Absolutely.”

“Oh, yes, what now?”

Eggsy grinned. “Oh, yes, _Merlin_.”

“Better.”

He let go of Eggsy’s shirt and gave a half nod down the corridor. Eggsy followed Merlin to his office. Once they were inside, Merlin keyed something into the electronic locks and the light changed from amber to red.

“What did…”

“Locking down the system. It lets people know I’m involved in something sensitive and to come back later, and it keeps the ones who don’t pay enough attention from just opening the door.”

Eggsy followed him over to his command center. Merlin picked up a very small box from the station and showed it to Eggsy.

“You know what this is?”

Eggsy grinned and nodded. “Yes, Merlin.”

“Then yeh know what I expect.”

Eggsy went to him and knelt at his feet. As he was unbuttoning the top of his shirt, he asked, “Are you always gonna be so vague?”

Merlin opened the box and took out the pendant inside. It was an ‘M’, made to look like calligraphy. It was plain and Eggsy thought it was perfect for Merlin; simple and traditional looking.

“You knew the answer. You’re intelligent, and I expect that of you. So yes, when you should know the answer already, I _will_ be vague. Is that a problem for you?”

Eggsy shook his head. “No, Merlin.”

Merlin leaned over and pulled the chain around so the clasp was at the bottom. He opened the clasp, holding onto the pendants so they wouldn’t slip off and so the chain would still stay on Eggsy's neck. He slipped a second small, solid sphere on so that it made space next to Harry’s, and then put his pendant on. 

Once it was clasped again, Eggsy buttoned his shirt back up. He’d kept it under his shirt while he’d been doing his training. He hadn’t been certain if it was alright to show it when he was doing things with their whole spy organization. He moved to stand up, and then stopped and stayed where he was.

Merlin’s brow rose. “What was that?”

“You didn’t say I could move, and Harry did that to me the other day. So I figured I’d wait until you said something.”

Merlin smirked. “Like I said, you’re intelligent. You may get up now.”

Eggsy all but bounced up. He felt, well, he didn’t have a word for how he felt. But it was a good feeling. It wasn’t quite the feeling he’d had with Harry that first time, where he’d just _needed_ to obey, but it was close. So very close. If Merlin ordered him to do something, he felt like it would push him over the edge into that feeling.

“I’m going to add a third rule; this one’s just for you and I, however.”

“Alright.”

“When we’re together, you’re not to go through doors without my permission.”

Eggsy nodded slowly. Merlin was being vague again, which meant the answer was one he didn’t have to ask for. Did that mean he’d have to ask every time? “Alright. I can do that.”

Merlin gave him a pleased smile. “Now, I have work to do. And you…” He rifled through some papers and pulled out what he was looking for. He held them out to Eggsy. “You have some learning to do.”

Eggsy took them and looked at the pages. “What is this for…?”

Merlin smirked. “A surprise.”

“Okay… Then I’ll go learn this stuff.”

Merlin walked him to the door, took it off of lockdown, and opened it for him. “Ye’ve got a week to commit it to memory.”

Eggsy grinned. So permission was waiting for Merlin to open the door, huh? He liked it. He left Merlin’s office, looking over the pages. There were seven of them. At least he had a week to get this memorized, for whatever surprise was coming.

And whatever the surprise was, it looked like fun.

5

Eggsy had spent the rest of the day feeling like he was floating. He’d gone home after leaving Merlin’s office. He unbuttoned the top of his shirt so that the necklace could both show and be against his skin. Best of both worlds.

He started working on the seven pages of information. Some of it was simple, and he already had down. But some of it, he was having a lot of trouble with. He’d hit those parts and he’d start to come down from his high. But then he’d feel the pendants clink together and he’d be right back up again. 

He kept an eye on the time, and when it was an hour before his dad was supposed to be home, he started on dinner. There was no rule that he had to and there was no standing reason for him to; he just wanted to. With his mind so on Merlin, Tilde, and Harry, it was sort of like making it for them.

Michelle got home about twenty minutes later. 

“What’s the occasion?”

“Oh, you know. Just feel like it.”

She picked up one of the papers he still had laying out. “Homework from Merlin?”

Eggsy grinned. “Yeah, it’s-” He stopped dead and stammered. “I mean. It’s.”

She laughed. “Do you really think I didn’t know?”

He just stared at her for a minute. “Well, I mean. You know.”

She went over to him and looked at the necklace. “This is it, huh? I like it.” She smiled at him. “Harry came by to talk to me about it. He can be an arse sometimes, but he can also be sweet and thoughtful.”

“So you’re not, well, upset?”

She shook her head. “They’re good to you, yeah? And you’re happy?”

He laughed. “Yeah, they’re. They’ve been wonderful.”

“That’s all that matters to me.” She paused and gave him a shy smile. “Do you want to see mine?”

“I didn’t know you had one. Well, I didn’t know this was something anyone did.”

She laughed softly. “I think Lee introduced Harry to the idea. I don’t know where he got the idea from. I don’t think it’s a very common thing.”

She braced her foot against the kitchen island and pulled her trouser leg up. She had a thin anklet, inlaid with blue-violet stones, and had a silver butterfly hanging from it. She’d always known that Harry had helped Lee pay for it. It had been the first time she’d seen how sweet he could be.

“It’s pretty.”

She grinned at him and went over to him. “Here, I’ll finish up and you work on your homework.”

He gave her a kiss on the cheek and went back over to his papers. Seven days and seven pages. Yeah, he could do this.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tilde and Eggsy spend the night together.  
> So. Erotica, ahoy (no more graphic than I've done previously).  
> Followed by plot, and a little pain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As a warning, there's a point in here where there's some deep, not sexy, skin-breaking biting.

1

Tilde was unbuttoning Eggsy’s shirt. It had been a few days since she’d been at the manor house. He could have gone to her, but it was only the 18th day and too soon for him to go back safely. Harry and Merlin had a guest room; they’d given it to them for the night.

She paused at the third button and reached up to his necklace. She picked up Merlin’s pendant and looked at it quizzically.

“Why an ‘M’ for Hamish?”

Eggsy gave a start. “Oh.” He couldn’t tell her. Well, he _could_ , but that would be betraying Harry and the Kingsman. “It’s for his middle name. So there wouldn’t be two ‘H’s.”

He felt bad for lying to her. And not just because being caught would have meant a serious beating in the past. He was _hers_ ; she might not be an Alpha, but she was _his_ Alpha all the same. And he’d lied to her.

He’d bring it up with Harry in the morning. Maybe he’d be fine with telling Tilde. Especially if he was going to _be_ one of them while still being hers.

But she seemed to accept the explanation and set the pendant against his chest again. It made him feel all the worse that she accepted it. He almost told her to stop unbuttoning his shirt, but then she’d _know_ something was wrong.

Once it was unbuttoned, she pushed it off of his shoulders and he let it fall to the floor. She ran her hands down his chest and his stomach, stopping where his hips began. His muscles twitched under her touch; his body wasn’t used to gentleness. She brought her hands back up his arms, pausing to kiss the mole on his right bicep, and then again at the one on his throat. His head tipped back when her lips touched his neck. She was quite nicely distracting him from his guilt.

She bit down on his neck, although not enough to hurt him. She heard his sharp intake of breath and was about to let go, when he let it out in a quiet, but definitely pleasured, sound. She kissed where his neck met his shoulder, and then his shoulder as she moved around behind him.

She pulled - more guided - him back against her, her arm going around his chest. She bit his neck again, harder this time. He moaned and arched against her, his hands coming up to her arm and holding tightly to her. She let go of his flesh and sucked at the marks she could feel with her tongue. He made a weak sound and went somewhat limp against her.

She stopped what she was doing. “Are you alright?”

“Yes, Tilde,” he said in a breathy voice.

“Do you want me to keep going?”

“God, yes. Tilde.”

She shifted her hold on him, so her other arm was around his chest. She bit down on the other side of his neck, getting another cry of pleasure of him. She alternated between biting down on him, harder than she had at first, and sucking on the marks. She never broke the skin, but she left a very dark mark on his neck with deep bite marks.

Everytime she bit down, he cried out and gripped tighter on her arm. It wasn’t long before his wordless cries became cries or choked whispers of ‘fuck’ over and over again. She could feel him shivering against him, and him slipping down little by little as his legs gave out from under him.

She went down with him, being gentle with his neck now and held him in her arms once they were on the floor. He was breathing hard, but he let go of her arm and let his own fall to the floor.

“I didn’t.” He swallowed hard. “I didn’t know pain could feel good.”

She laughed softly, her voice a low nearly purr. “If you do it right, it can.”

“Did you want me to, to do that for you?”

“Mm, maybe sometime. Right now, however, we’re focusing on you, my dear one.”

She helped him sit up and he leaned forward. He still felt lightheaded from what she’d done, and it was such a good feeling. She touched his shoulders and moved down his back. She felt the scarring and sat back enough to look at it.

He had never let her see his bare back. She slid back from him, seeing all of it for the first time. She felt more than saw him stiffen, and he lowered his head, leaning forward more. At first she thought it was shame or fear, but then she realized he was just submissively showing her. She didn’t tell him it was alright, or that his submissive showing wasn’t necessary. Instead, she leaned forward and kissed one ‘wing’ and then the other. 

“Stand up, my love,” she whispered to him.

She helped him up and saw that he was smiling again. She touched his shoulders and slid her hands down to his and guided him along to the bed. She touched his abs, and went lower, hooking her fingers in his trousers and unbuttoning them. She ran her fingers up the zipper before undoing it, and guiding his trousers off of his hips. She took hold of the elastic of his pants and knelt as she pulled them down.

“Tilde…” he said very softly, very uncertainly.

She ran her hands up his legs. “Not comfortable with this?”

“Well, I…”

“You’re supposed to give me an answer, Eggsy,” she said softly.

“No, I’m not.”

She stood up and kissed him. Some Omegas could do both roles when needed, others couldn’t. She understood his needs, his wants; she shared them. She did enjoy this role, but sometimes…

“It’s fine. Lay down then.”

He did what she said and she opened her overnight bag. She rooted around in it until she found what she wanted; a scarf at the bottom, long enough to tie someone’s hands together. It was stretched from years of use; a girl has needs, you know.

“Give me your hands.”

He held them up to her and she tied his wrists to the headboard. He gave it an experimental tug and he felt the knots tighten a bit. He relaxed his arms, laying them on the bed as much as he could. Being tied up wasn’t something he’d ever done willingly before, but he was much more comfortable with trying that than he was with Tilde on her knees to him.

She knelt on the bed between his legs and kissed up his thigh. She stopped partway up and bit him, although not nearly as hard as she had been biting on his neck. She sucked hard on the skin in between biting him so she didn’t cause him enough pain to hurt in a bad way. He curled that leg against her.

She kissed where she’d been biting him and moved up higher. Eggsy was a secondary male; they were smaller in _every_ way than primary males. But he really wasn’t badly sized for a secondary. She licked up his shaft and took him into her mouth. He arched against her and she heard him suck in a breath. She laughed a bit at his reaction, and was rewarded with almost a growl of pleasure. She cupped his balls in her hand and massaged them in time with her mouth. It wasn’t long before she heard his breathing start to grow ragged. Given how close he’d sounded when she was biting him, she wasn’t too surprised. But she slowed her ministrations just the same.

“Fuck, what’re you…?”

She looked up at him, and pulled up off of him just enough to talk. “You don’t want me to gag you, do you?” She didn’t give him time to answer before she had him back in her mouth. 

He sucked in a breath through clenched teeth. He was so close it almost hurt, and she was intentionally keeping him where he was. He wanted to tell her to finish him, or beg her, or whatever it would take for her to push him over. But she’d already 'threatened' to gag him.

She kept him there for several minutes, all the while enjoying his almost pained cries of need. Anytime he bucked his hips, reflexively or not, she slowed further until he stopped. She waited until she could feel him starting to shake with his need, and then she sped up again, her mouth and hand working harder on his body until he came.

She stayed where she was until he was done, and cleaned him with her mouth. She could still feel him shaking and could hear his ragged breath. She moved up his body until she was laying over him and kissed him, making him taste himself.

“Worth the wait, hm?”

“Fucking Hell.” He said, still breathing hard. “Yes, Tilde. Fucking yes.”

She untied his hands and kissed his wrists before cuddling up to him. He held onto her, looking very contented. He felt very… drifty, too. It had never been like this. Sure, he’d have a wank sometimes, but this was something else entirely. He stayed against her, in that place between awake and asleep, for some time before pushing himself up on one arm.

“My turn, yeah?”

She ran a hand through his hair and gave it a gentle tug. “I’d like that.”

They sat up and he helped her with her shirt and her undershirt. He tossed the undershirt - and the sachet inside it - away from the bed. He kissed her lips, her cheek, her jaw, down her neck, and to her chest. And then he paused and pulled away from her.

Even with it gone, the smell of the sachet was all over her. He wanted _her_ scent, just _her_ scent. He got off the bed and took her hands. She stood and let him lead her. He took her into the bathroom and she eyed him quizzically but said nothing.

The shower in the guest room was almost made for two people. It was long, encased in glass, with a flat, stone floor. There were grab bars on the walls at both ends, suggesting that showering wasn’t the only activity this bathroom had been designed around.

He started at her neck this time, slowly kissing his way down to the swell of her breasts. He bit down on her nipple, just hard enough to make her moan, and then moved lower. He knelt as he went, and once he was on his knees, he unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans, and slid them off of her. He didn’t just let them drop once they were free of her hips; he kept his hands against her, hooking her pants, and guiding them down her legs to the floor.

He looked up at her. He’d never seen a primary female naked. Sure, there’d been some talk among other omegas about what they must look like, but those were the only young the omegas weren’t allowed to care for. So all he’d really known was that they looked more like men. And yeah, he could see it, because what she had certainly _looked_ like a dick. But the end of it was more a bulge, the ‘tip’ looked a lot more like a fold of skin, and it was clearly meant to be penetrated not the penetrator. His only real concern at the moment was that, well, it wasn’t hard. 

He stood and led her into the shower. He turned the water on; she leaned against the wall with the shower head and held onto the grab bars with a grin. He didn’t do anything overtly sexual at first; he actually started bathing her.

When she reached out to reciprocate he said, “No. You took care of me; I’m taking care of you.”

She let go of the bars and let him do what he would, moving this way and that as he needed her to. He started with her hair and worked down her body. He did it slowly, paying more thorough attention to her breasts, her genitals, and - after seeing her arch at his touch - her ass. When he was done, he knelt at her feet again and she grinned.

“Hold on, it’s gonna be a bumpy ride?” she asked in an impish voice.

He tipped his head to the side slightly, as sort of a half-shrug, and gave her his own grin. “Well, I ain’t going for a smooth one, at any rate.”

He licked and sucked on the still-flaccid pseudophallus. He found the opening with his tongue and pressed into her. She was slick inside, and her taste was strong, and he could hear her already moaning and crying out in pleasure; clearly it being flaccid was a _good_ thing. He brought his hand up, and pressed one finger into her anus, and then a second. She bucked her hips at him as he worked a third into her, and he started fucking her with them in time with his mouth and his tongue.

She wrapped her legs over his shoulder, crossing them just enough to hold him in place. With only himself and the bars to keep her up, he put his free hand on her back. She started bucking against him, all but grinding against his face as she grew close to her orgasm. He briefly thought about slowing, about doing to her what she’d done to him; instead he went harder. It wasn’t long before she was screaming, holding him so tightly against her as she came that he couldn’t breathe. She shuddered against him for what felt like hours before her legs loosened and he heard a low but almost weak-sounding voice from her.

“I’m slipping…”

He didn’t have time to stand; instead he did what he could to guide her down to the shower floor without being hurt.

She grabbed onto him and pushed him back onto the stone floor. She kissed him hungrily, her hand going down to his cock. God, she wanted to fuck him. And as he stiffened under her hand, it took every ounce of willpower to not just ravish him, to just fuck him until she was utterly spent.

This was why, aside from their simple rarity, omegas like her were so valuable, so desired. They were smaller than primary Alpha and Beta females. But what they lacked in size, they made up for it with their sexual appetites. Once all of their switches were flipped, they could be nearly insatiable.

She pulled back from him and his eyes widened at the look in her eyes. It was wild, and predatory, and hungry all at once. It was arousing, and while it was a bit terrifying, arousing was certainly winning out.

“I’m going to fuck you,” she said in a low growl.

She felt him shiver under her and she fought so very hard to not just shift onto him and do it. She wanted to ask him; she knew she _needed_ to. But the words weren’t coming and she _wanted to be_.

His arms snaked around her neck. “Do it. Fuck me. Make me scream for you.”

He barely got the last word out before she covered his mouth again, hard enough that his head connected with the shower floor. He’d have a bruise there later, but right now he barely felt it. In two short moves, she had him inside of her. He felt himself slowly inching across the floor with the force of her riding him. Every time he felt himself getting close to coming, she would break the kiss and bite his throat. Not the way she’d bit his neck earlier, but _hard_ ; enough so that he distantly wondered if she’d broken the skin. It certainly had her desired effect, however, and it kicked him back down enough to stop him from coming.

Long before she was done, he had to put his hands over his head and brace them against the shower wall. Every so often, she would slow just enough for him to realize she’d come again. He hurt from being kept from coming for so long, from the times she’d bitten down so hard on his throat, from bracing himself against the wall. But at the same time, he didn’t want her to stop. He had never been fucked like this before, and even with the pain, he liked it.

There came a time finally, after what had to have been aeons, where she didn’t bite him. He came in short order, not long before she did. His cries were lost under hers, and she lay against him, breathing hard, shuddering and riding out the last waves of her orgasm. She said something so softly that he couldn’t make it out.

“What?”

“Neck. bleeding.”

“No fuck,” he said with a laugh.

“Tired.”

“Yeah, shocker that. But this probably isn’t the best spot. Running water, stone floor.”

“Mm.”

He managed to get her to her feet and into the bedroom. In the time it took for him to get a towel, she was already asleep on the bed. He laughed and toweled her off the best he could. He toweled himself off and, after a moment’s debate, got on the blanket with her. There was no way he was going to get it out from under her enough to cover her, and he wanted to be skin-to-skin with her.

She was still out when he woke in the morning

2

His head hurt, his arms, his neck. His fucking _cock_ hurt.

He’d pulled on his trousers and his still unbuttoned shirt before going out of the bedroom. He put the kettle on while searching around for something for the pain. He found some and took them with a glass of water, and then a second glass, and then a third. He sat at the table and waited for the kettle to whistle.

“Sleep well?”

He nodded. “Yeah, Harry. Slept real well.”

Harry pulled a couple mugs out of the cabinet and some tea. When the kettle whistled, he filled the mugs and brought one over to Eggsy.

“I’m not surprised.” He eyed the Omega. “You might have a scar from her biting you like that.”

Eggsy flushed. “Yeah, she um.” He shrugged.

“So we heard,” Harry said, taking a drink of his tea.

Eggsy muttered an apology.

“Don’t be. I should have warned you; the air ducts in the bathroom line up, unfortunately, rather well to Merlin and my room.”

Eggsy grimaced. That meant Harry had heard nearly everything.

“We thought about interrupting you, but you both seemed to be quite contently occupied.”

Eggsy leaned his arms on the table and buried his face in his hands. “Fucking Hell, Harry.”

“Don’t be embarrassed,” Harry said impishly. “Now I know where the bar is set.”

“You’re a fuck,” came a rather flustered moan.

Harry chuckled. He could, indeed, be a fuck. And right now, he was thoroughly enjoying being one.

After several moments, Eggsy finally looked up from his hands and bit his lip.

“She. She asked about the ‘M’.”

Harry’s brow rose slightly, more in interest than in surprise. “Did she now? And what did you tell her?”

“That it’s for his middle name.”

Harry could hear the guilt in his voice. “And now,” he began, “you want to bring her into our confidence about what this clan does, correct?”

Eggsy lowered his head. While he didn’t hear any anger or annoyance in Harry’s voice, he was sure it was there. Somewhere. Just hidden. He was going to have to leave the lie there, and it would be there every time she looked at him. She would-

“I see no reason to not at this point.”

“I understand. It’s asking a lot and-” he stopped and looked up at Harry. “What?”

“I said I see no reason not to at this point.”

Eggsy stammered for a bit, trying to get his brain to catch up with what he’d heard. “But. I. _Why_? You barely know her? I mean, yeah, _I_ trust her, but. I mean. I’m pretty fucking biased here. You just trust _me_ like that?”

Harry said nothing for a moment. Eggsy _was_ biased, there was no denying that. Trusting Tilde with this sensitive of information, based only on the word of her lover, would not be a good idea. It was the sort of idea that would get agents killed.

He sighed, and spoke in a calm, gentle voice. “Eggsy, primary Alpha females rarely have voracious sexual appetites.”

Eggsy bristled, more out of fear than anything. “Rarely doesn’t mean ‘never’.”

“I’m more than aware of that, Eggsy, but you must realize it brings her status as an Alpha into question. And it’s the sort of question neither you nor she want anyone asking.”

“Harry…” he started weakly.

“I’m not making a threat, Eggsy. We have very sensitive, life-threatening knowledge of her. This will balance things out and let _her_ have sensitive, life-threatening knowledge of us. Knowledge that could get more than Merlin or myself killed if it were to get out.” 

“No. She’s an Alpha, Harry. Just because she likes to fuck-”

Harry tipped his head slightly and gave Eggsy a knowing look. “That, taken in account with her small size, and desire to pass her lover off as either a Beta or an Alpha, would seem to suggest otherwise. This is why I’m willing to let her know these things; so that her fears, and yours, can be assuaged.”

Eggsy looked away from Harry for a moment and then back at him. “If you ever…”

He smiled gently at him. “I understand you wanting to protect her, Eggsy. Truly, I do. But Merlin and I are not going to be a threat to her. Actually, he’s quite embarrassed about this.”

Eggsy sat forward some. “ _Merlin_ is embarrassed over this?”

“Of course he is. There are few things more socially humiliating than being challenged by an Omega and losing. And she not only challenged and then scolded him, but she made him apologize to you.”

“I thought. You know. I mean, we’re…”

Harry nodded. “Yes, he’s giving in to the bond we share with you, and his view have changed somewhat. But he’s still who he is, and changing all of that won’t be so fast.”

Eggsy looked put out. “At least he ain’t inclined to sell her.”

Harry smirked. “Even if he were so inclined, Michelle would kill him. And I do mean that literally. She _would_ find a way to do it.”

“I’m gonna go check on her.”

Eggsy got up and refilled the kettle, but with cold water, and took a glass to the bedroom. He could have looked for a pitcher, or asked Harry where there was one, but his mind was very _dis_ contentedly occupied.

3

Eggsy woke her up with a kiss. Her arms wrapped around him and she pulled him against her. It wasn’t a sexual move; it was just wanting to touch him. Tilde was, in a word, sore, but in the best of ways. She’d known there had always been the possibility of something like that happening, but she’d always thought it was exaggerated.

It gave her a much clearer understanding of why Eggsy had just given in to the instinct to go to Hamish and Harry. When everything in your being was screaming for you to do something, it was so very hard to ignore it. Maybe the instinctual drive had been part of why they’d accepted each other so readily. 

She smiled up at him. “Good morning.”

“Morning.” He picked up the glass of water and offered it to her. “I expect you’ll need this.”

She sat up and took it from him, draining it at a draught, and holding it out for more. He obediently refilled it. She drank until the kettle was empty and then sighed. She felt like eating everything in the apartment, and then maybe dragging Eggsy back to the Unwin’s place and raiding there, too.

She, finally, actually noticed that he’d been filling her glass from a tea kettle and started giggling. She’d expect someone like Harry to have a kettle for all occasions, certainly, but she would have expected him to have a pitcher or something similar for water,

He realized what she was giggling at and laughed, himself, although it was weak sounding. “Yeah, I didn’t think to ask. I just. Sorta grabbed it.”

There was the guilt again. Harry hadn’t even mentioned his lying about Tilde, but he hadn’t felt any guilt about that. Harry had believed that Tilde was an Alpha and he had just never corrected him. He had also been trying to protect her from a threat to her life, her safety.

And then there was how he _thought_ of Tilde. She was an Omega like him, yes. But she was his Alpha. It didn’t matter to him that she wasn’t actually was one. His parents might look at each other as husband and wife, but he didn’t look at Tilde that way. That suggested a level of equality, and he didn’t look at himself that way. He still saw himself as one of the lowest of Omegas.

Perhaps someday, when he’d healed enough, he’d look at himself differently. But not now. He _couldn’t_ see himself that way.

“What is it?” She stroked his cheek and then noticed the wounds she’d left on his neck. They were _deep_. She hadn’t even realized she’d been biting that hard. “OhmyGod, Eggsy! My dear one, I’m so sorry.”

She tipped his head back so she could look at the marks better. They weren’t bleeding anymore, but the area was horribly bruised. She gently touched around the marks, wanting to make sure, somehow, that she hadn’t done something worse with her biting.

“It’s alright,” he said, taking her hand and looking back at her. “Harry says I’ll probably have a scar from it. But… I’ve had scars from worse things. It’s, well, it’ll be a scar I enjoyed getting. Does that make any sense?”

“Yes, it does.” She kissed his hand. “But that’s not the problem, is it.”

It wasn’t a question. He wasn’t acting afraid of her, and if that _had_ been the problem, that’s what she’d expect. He looked about as guilty as he felt, and it wasn’t hard at all for her to see it.

“No, it’s not.” He lowered his head, both out of shame and submission. “I lied to you last night.”

She nodded. “You lied about the ‘M’, right?”

He winced and let go of her hand. He might not fear a beating from her for lying, but the fact that she’d known and hadn’t said anything made him feel all the worse. Because she’d just let him get away with it.

“Yes, about the ‘M’.” His voice was so soft.

She put her hand under his chin and made him look back up at her. He was, in a lot of ways, broken inside. He could put on a good show of not being broken; he’d learned it to survive. But then something small like this would happen and just how broken he was would surface. She was just glad he didn’t smell of fear, that he’d actually been able to trust her like that; both in that he didn’t fear her and that he could show it without putting on his facade.

“I knew it was either about that or about you wanting me to fuck you, Eggsy,” she said gently. “And I didn’t think it was about you wanting that.”

She could see his lips twitching and she knew he, at least, wanted to smile. She didn’t know if it was the guilt, his trying to remain submissive to her, or just years of training to not react in the face of punishment.

“So,” she said, putting her hands on his arms. “What was this terrible lie?”

He sighed, the way someone will before taking on a heavy burden. “It’s not for his middle name. I don’t know what it actually is, but that’s not what it’s for. Obviously.”

“Mm, obviously.” 

“It, well, it stands for Merlin. He goes by it even off-duty. Even Harry calls him that half the time. So it, it made more sense for him to use that.”

“Merlin?”

She was surprised. There was nothing in the apartment, well nothing she’d seen, to indicated that he was so enamored with Arthurian legends. Although, she figured that seeing himself as the Merlin to Harry’s Arthur wasn’t too bad of a comparison. It wasn’t the person from the legends that she’d necessarily ascribe to him, but she wasn’t the one who went by it.

“Merlin is his… um… it’s his codename.”

Her eyes narrowed at that. “Why does Hamish need a codename? And if he normally goes by it anyway, doesn’t that sort of ruin it being a codename?”

“Kingsman…” he paused. “Kingsman isn’t just a clan. They have connections with other clans, and it allows them a lot of access to people and places.”

Tilde nodded. “A lot of clans have alliances like that. My clan has, I think, four. Mama usually deals with them, but last I knew, it was four.”

“There’s more than that, though. They’re spies, most of them anyway. Their codenames follow the legends of Arthur, so Harry is the leader, so his is Arthur. Hamish is sorta the wizard behind the scenes, so he’s Merlin.”

“And your father is Lancelot?” she asked. It made sense to her that Lee would be, given how close they seemed.

“No, actually. My dad is Gawain. They take the name of the Knight they’re replacing.”

She nodded. That made sense, too. “Does Harry know you’re telling me this? Not that I would out them, but he can’t really be sure of that.”

“He. Yeah, he told me to tell you. He thought it might be best if I did.”

“Why? Because I come here? Because we’re sharing you?” she shook her head. That part made no sense to her.

“Well, because.” He lowered his head again.

It was his fault that Harry and Merlin knew. If he hadn’t attacked Charlie, if he hadn’t run. Even if she wasn’t in danger from them. Before him, only two other people had known the truth about her. She’d kept it hidden for so long.

“The air ducts in the bathroom line up in just the right way with the ones in Harry and Merlin’s room. So they… heard… everything while we were in there.”

The color ran out of her face and she tensed, her breath shallow and fast.

“That combined with how much smaller you are than most Alphas…”

“They know.” It was a horrified whisper.

It was her worst nightmare come true. Two Alphas, one of them something of a traditionalist and a huge unknown, knew the truth about her. She was shaking, and felt as if her throat was closing up. Mama had told her, many times, what happened to women like her. She'd been graphic. Tilde knew it was to make her understand, to make her careful. And now all of those graphic images were flooding her mind.

She looked at the door and saw it was still closed. Her mind was screaming for her to get out, but how to get out without the two Alphas stopping her? Before Eggsy could even stop her, she was off the bed, scrambling for her clothes.

“Babe.”

She barely even heard him. The need to get out, to get back to safety was too great. Eggsy went over to her and she wheeled on him, striking him. Hard. His head rocked from the force of it. She was striking out in terror, not anger. He knew that and he grabbed her by the arms. She shrieked, trying to fight her way free of him. It took every bit of him to keep hold of her.

“Let me go!”

“Babe! _Tilde_! Listen to me, alright? They ain’t gonna hurt you. They ain’t gonna sell you.”

She wasn’t listening, or she just wasn’t hearing. She sank to the floor, trying to slip from his grasp, but he held onto her and went down with her. He held onto her as tightly as she could and, after struggling and failing, she collapsed against him, sobbing.

“Don’t understand,” she said between sobs. “They use. There’s drugs. It keeps us like that. All the time.”

That hit him, hard. It had been one thing to be raped daily, or a few times daily depending on Dean and whatever clients he found. But he’d never been in a state like she had, where she _had_ to go until she couldn’t anymore, to have instinct completely overriding what she wanted.

“You’re safe. You’re safe. I promise you. It’s _why_ Harry told me to tell you. It’s more than _his_ life if that got out. It’s everyone in the clan. You’ve got something over _everyone_ here, now. Harry and Merlin _can’t_ tell anyone.”

It was so strange to him, being the protective one. But his Alpha was terrified and she needed someone to protect her. He knew, if he actually had to, he’d try and fight Harry and Merlin to protect her.

It took her some time to calm down enough to speak again, and when she did, it was in a quiet, frightened voice Eggsy never thought he’d hear from her.

“You must think I’m so dumb.”

He sat up from her a little. “The fuck you sayin’ that for?”

“Everything you’ve been through…”

“Tilde.” He kissed the top of her head. “I ain’t gonna judge you for being terrified of that. I wouldn’t wish that shit on anyone.” He paused. “Correction: I’d wish it on that fuck, but only him.”

He was quiet for a bit. He could still hear her sniffling and she was still shaking.

“You know I’d kill them before I let them hurt you.”

She shook her head against him. “You’re bonded to them. And _they’d_ be the ones killing _you_.”

He shrugged. “I’d still try. I’d buy you enough time to get out of here, at any rate.”

He held her until she wasn’t shaking any more. It took a long while, and he didn’t fault her for it. He could still remember when Dean realized that he was an Omega. He could still remember the first beating, the first time Dean rented him out. He couldn’t remember when the terror had become acceptance. Just as he didn't remember when the defiant act had become just that; a facade that he kept up in order to survive.

“You know,” he started after she’d been still for some time. He needed to get his mind off of that, and get her mind off of her scare. “There’s a good side to this.”

She laughed weakly. “Yeah? What’s that?”

“You know two Alphas who know the truth. Who knows? You three might end up liking each other.”

She smiled a little against his chest. “And then I share them with you?”

He laughed softly. “Well, ain’t much different from sharing _me_ with _them_. Just this ways, you’d have someone who’d get off on you kneeling or trying you up or whatever else.” He kissed the top of her head and leaned his own on hers. “Of course, I’ll do it for you if you want. I’m just not really sure I’d like it ever.”

She sat up and put her hands on his cheeks. She knew he would, too. She sometimes thought that if she told him to set himself on fire, he’d do it for her. And she knew that a lot of that was because she treated him the way he should be treated.

She touched her forehead to his, letting her hands slip from his cheeks to his shoulders to his waist and around him. She was still afraid, but he was also right about this having a good side to it. Although she was afraid of _that_ , too

“Can we just… stay in here for a bit?”

“Course, babe. Anything you want.”

4

They’d been alone for almost a half hour when there was a knock on the bedroom door. Eggsy got up and went over to the door, keeping his foot behind it as he opened it a crack. He’d been expecting Harry or Merlin, and started when it was neither of them.

“Mum?”

“Come out here.” She was speaking softly.

“But I-”

“Eggsy. Listen to me. Come out here.”

He cast a worried glance back at Tilde. He didn’t really want to leave her alone right now.

“It’ll be alright. I’m going to sit with her.”

Michelle waved him out and went into the bedroom, locking the door behind her. She went over to Tilde, slowly, and sat beside her. She reached out and stroked Tilde’s hair.

“They told you.”

Michelle shook her head. “No. They asked me to come here, and when I got here they told me you’d had a fright and that maybe talking to me would help.” She pushed a lock of hair away from Tilde’s eyes. “You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to.”

“I don’t think you can help.”

“Why not?” I realize I’m not an Alpha, but…” She trailed off, frowning.

She was trying to not smell the room all too much, not when she saw the bite marks on Eggsy’s neck. But there was something just _off_ about the scent. The room stank of sex, yes, but… Her eyes widened as she realized _what_ was wrong with the smell of the room; it didn’t smell of an Alpha’s sex.

“Harry knows I’d kill him,” she said coolly.

Tilde blinked and stared at her. “What?”

“If he, for whatever reason, sold someone. He knows I’d kill him.”

The look on Michelle’s face was different than Eggsy’s. It wasn’t the look of someone willing to sacrifice themselves; she knew she could do it, and that she would. When she had first come to her new clan, she had been afraid of everything, and everyone except Lee. And Lee had taught her how to fight. Later, when Chester refused to let her train as a Kingsman, Harry had taught her how to kill. Only Harry, Lee, and Merlin knew it, too.

“He and Hamish both know that I would.”

“I know,” she said softly. “About, about people calling him Merlin.”

“Harry told you?”

She shook her head. “He had Eggsy tell me. Earlier.”

“But you’re still afraid.”

She nodded. “What if he doesn’t let me leave?”

Michelle sighed and went back to stroking Tilde’s hair. She understood the young woman’s fear all too well. “I’ll stay with you, until you’re home again. And then you can write down everything you know. Leave it in a security box or a safe or something. I assume your parents know?” She waited for Tilde to nod and continued. “Make sure they can get to it in an emergency. Or tell them flat out that it’s collateral information because Harry knows. Then you’ll _know_ that he can’t do shit to you.”

Tilde watched Michelle for a few moments before clinging to her. Michelle had not been expecting the Alpha, ah Omega, to hug her so suddenly. But she held onto her, just as tightly as Tilde was clinging to her. Soon enough, she’d go with Tilde and see her home safely, and it would be just the two of them and Harry’s driver. But for now, she sat with her, holding her and whispering reassurances to her. 


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remember the surprise Merlin promised?  
> It is time.
> 
> Also, I would like to publicly admit that my wife is absolutely right about me.  
> I _am_ incapable of writing happy fluff without angst in it.

1

For the last couple of days, Eggsy had been keeping himself busy at all times. If he wasn’t training, he was studying the papers Merlin had given him. He wanted, he _needed_ to talk to Tilde and to make sure she was alright. But he wasn’t allowed to call out, just in case someone was listening somewhere. And it would be very strange for Harry to text her and start talking to her in a manner that wasn’t just professional.

Harry had told Eggsy that she’d texted him, and that she’d let him know she’d written everything out. But that had been the only contact she’d had with Harry. And it was driving Eggsy up the wall.

“Sweetheart, you’ve been doing that perfectly for the last half-hour. Why don’t you take a break?”

He sighed in frustration and tossed the page away from himself. “I need to have this down tonight. All of it.”

Michelle went over to him and rubbed his neck. The marks Tilde had left on the sides of his neck were still dark, but they were smaller, and the ones on his throat had started healing nicely (although he was definitely going to have scars). The bruise on his jaw had yellowed already.

“You have it down. I’ve been watching you.” She kissed his shoulder. “You’re going to over-prepare.” 

He bowed his head. “You ain’t talked to her, have you?”

“She texted me. She asked after you.” Michelle paused. “Well, she asked after _Sean_. And told me she was looking forward to have ‘him’ there with her soon. Apparently, she has loads of cleaning for him to do.”

Eggsy laughed and looked sideways at her. “Well, ‘Sean’ is looking forward to being with his master.”

She stroked his cheek. “Well, I know Merlin wants you down at his office in an hour. So why don’t you get ready and then head down there instead of stressing yourself out over preparing and Tilde? I promise, if she texts something while you’re out, I’ll let Merlin know.”

He nodded and went to take a shower. Michelle could tell him not to stress out over this, but even in the shower, he was going over everything and trying to think of every single thing on each page. When he realized how long he’d been in the shower, he dashed out and got into a pair of trousers and a button down. Merlin hadn’t said what he ought to wear, but he figured he couldn’t go wrong with that.

2

“You’ll need to change.”

Eggsy fought hard to not roll his eyes. “I get that you like being vague when I should know the answer, but I’ve no idea what you’re looking for.”

Merlin smirked just a bit and motioned to a box on his desk. “That’s because I never gave yeh what you’re wearing tonight.”

Eggsy flushed a little and went over to the box. He opened it and pulled out what he was supposed to wear. It was a short dress made of black jersey cotton; it had a deep v-neck, three-quarter sleeves, and was short enough to fall a couple inches above the knee.

“There was another option: just a wrap-around skirt. I figured you’d prefer the option that’ll keep your back covered.”

Eggsy tensed and looked over at him, a little bit wary and a little bit curious.

“I asked yer mum for her opinion. I never see yeh in anything but jeans and trousers.”

Eggsy grinned. “Ain’t like I’ve ever had the option of nice things.”

He laid the dress out on the desk and started unbuttoning his shirt. Merlin gave him a slightly annoyed look.

“You don’t have to change in here.”

Eggsy feigned a look of innocence and kept unbuttoning. “You don’t mean you don’t _want_ me to, do you?”

Merlin growled softly, but didn’t try to stop Eggsy. Eggsy slowly finished unbuttoning his shirt and shrugged, letting it slip down his arms. He kicked his shoes off and made a show of slowly unbuttoning his trousers, and then unzipping them. He bent down, sliding them down his legs, stepping out, and then standing up again, just as slowly.

“I could do the rest,” he offered.

“Yeah, yeh could. _Or_ yeh could get dressed like I said to.”

Eggsy grinned and spread his hands. “Not like it’s gonna take all that long.” He pulled the dress over his head, and then straightened it out so it fell properly. He pulled a pair of black ballet flats out of the box and put them on. “Like I said.”

“There’s two other things, Eggsy.”

Eggsy nodded. “Sure.”

“We’re going _out_ , so you’re going to have to answer to ‘Sean’.”

Eggsy grinned. That wouldn’t be too hard, he didn’t think. No harder than remember to call Merlin ‘Hamish’ at any rate. “And the other?”

“Yer gonna have to take Tilde and my pendants off tonight.”

Eggsy touched the necklace but nodded. He understood. Merlin didn’t need people asking about the other two letters. Although imagining Merlin giving anyone what Harry had given him made him want to laugh. But he did as he was bidden and set the extra letters and spheres on Merlin’s desk.

“Now, before we head out: you remember the rules for tonight?”

Eggsy nodded. “Yes, Merlin.” He held up a finger with each rule. “Obey whatever’s asked of you; don’t speak unless spoken to, and when expected to speak, polite language only; don’t question orders; open doors for your master and follow behind them; check any glasses or silverware you bring your master.”

“Very good. Can yeh follow all of that?”

“Yes, Merlin.”

Merlin curled his hand under Eggsy’s chin. Eggsy’s color was high and he was having a hard time standing still. Merlin was very pleased to see the Omega excited.

“Shall we then?”

3

“Hamish!”

An Alpha woman all but launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around him, and getting a quiet ‘oof’ out of him as she collided with him. She held onto him for a bit, and once he recovered from her sudden hug, he returned it.

“Hello, Beth.”

“Harry isn’t with you, is he?”

Merlin shook his head. “Harry sends his apologies. Perhaps the next time we come.”

“The _next_ time? I’ve been trying to get you to one of these for _years_.” She released him and finally saw Eggsy standing behind and to the right of Merlin; it was where an Alpha’s Omega was to stand. She positively lit up. “When did you get him?”

“Almost a month ago.”

“Oh, come here, _come here_!”

Eggsy stepped forward so that he was even with Merlin, but still to the side of him. He was trying not to grin. This woman seemed so very excited to see him, and he had no idea why.

“He’s _so_ pretty. Show yourself off to me, pretty one.”

Eggsy held his arms out slightly and turned, slowly, in a full circle. He took hold of the skirt at both sides and brought it forward. He extended his right foot, toe of his shoe pointed and just resting on the floor. He bowed slightly, bowing his head and bending his left leg. He stood straight after just a short moment and dropped the skirt, clasping his hands in front of himself. It made the Alpha female positively squeal with delight.

“Pretty _and_ graceful! You didn’t buy him from a friend, did you?”

Merlin chuckled. “Friend, yes. _Mutual_ friend, no.”

He put his hand at the base of Eggsy’s skull and rubbed, gently but firmly. It had the desired effect; Eggsy sighed softly and lowered his head again. A subtle, but effective, reward.

“Kara,” the woman called.

It wasn’t but a moment before a tall Beta woman was behind her, hands clasped in front of her. She had a white, velvet ribbon around her neck and the same dress and shoes Eggsy had been told to wear.

“Show this beauty around and make sure he knows where everything is.”

The Beta silently curtseyed the same way Eggsy had and motioned for him to follow her. She showed him around, keeping up a running commentary of where they were and what he could expect in each room. It was a lot to take in, and Eggsy was already flying, but he thought he could remember most of it.

“Any questions?” she asked when they were done.

“No, ma’am, I don’t believe so.”

She laughed softly. “You’ve never done this before, have you?”

“Is it that obvious?”

“This,” she said touching the ribbon “means that we’re the same tonight. You don’t have to be any more polite to me than another Omega. So you can call me Kara, and I can call you…?”

“Sean.”

She smiled. “Sean, then. Well, don’t be nervous if you forget something. You can always ask me, and little things tend to be overlooked. There’s no real set schedule for tonight, not beyond when dinner is; it depends on ma’am’s whims.”

She led him to where the other Omegas were waiting. They were mainly dressed the same, with most of the males and two of the females in just the wrap-around skirt. Some of them had necklaces like Eggsy’s own; others had bracelets or anklets. And one had a ring on. It had a wide, gold band with a single initial written in silver on it.

They were all owned the same way he was.

4

Once everyone had arrived, Kara led all the Omegas back to the foyer and had them line up on one side, hands clasped in front of them, facing the Alphas. Eggsy was far less nervous about the pack of Alphas than he thought he would be. Seeing the other Omegas had helped that quite a bit. He heard an unfamiliar voice say his name, but he kept looking straight ahead. It’s not like Sean was that uncommon of a name.

After a few minutes, their hostess brought the Alpha’s attention away from the Omegas.

“Good evening everyone. I’m Beth, your hostess for the night. This is Kara,” she said, motioning to the Beta. “If you have any problems tonight, she’s the one to talk to. That goes for both sides, by the way. Before I begin introducing everyone, I’d like to remind you all that a black ribbon means the Omega is _not_ open for private service, and the red ones indicate they are, at their own discretion.”

Eggsy waited anxiously as she introduced the Alphas. She went through the other nine Alphas, a couple of whom hadn’t brought an Omega with them, and left Merlin for the end. Eggsy, meanwhile, stood at attention the entire time, trying to not start moving out of pure excited and nervous energy.

“Last, but not least, a longtime friend: Hamish. And you’ll forgive me for leaving you until last; I wanted to ogle your Omega a bit longer.”

Merlin chuckled and nodded. “As you heard, my name is Hamish. Those of you allowed to may call me that; those of you who aren’t may call me Sir.” He looked at Eggsy. “Sean.”

Eggsy went over to him, trying hard to not just start grinning. He bowed his head and waited while Merlin picked up a ribbon - and he was half-relieved, half-overjoyed when Merlin picked up a black one - and tied it around his neck.

“I’ve had him for just under a month and, unless I’m mistaken, this is his first time.” He eyed Eggsy who nodded, more than a little enthusiastically. “If you notice him making the same mistake over and over, I’ll allow you to inform him. _Inform_ only.”

With everyone introduced, Beth led them all to the lounge. Kara stayed outside the doorway until everyone was inside. Merlin and the other Alphas mingled and talked, while Eggsy and the other Omegas stood along one wall. They all stood straight backed, their heads bowed, hands together with their palms up.

He thought it was an odd thing, that just standing in wait could make him feel so… _good_. Another place, another person, and Eggsy would have balked at this. He would have done it to keep from being beaten, but he would have hated every second. Because with another person, he would have been reduced to something to look at, a servant who obeys and thinks of nothing else.

But, here and now, it was so different. Here, he didn’t feel as if he was being reduced. He was still in the role of someone to look at, and someone who serves and obeys without question. But he was _wanted_. And not only that, Merlin was _looking to him_ and to _him alone_ to fill his needs, to make everything perfect. Merlin’s happiness with the night was resting on _him_.

And it was exhilarating. 

Eggsy really couldn’t have said how long they stood like that. Maybe it was ten minutes, maybe it was an hour. He’d been so lost in following Merlin’s voice and in how he felt, that time stopped meaning anything.

But then Kara brought Beth a drink and a little plate of hors d’Oeuvres, and the rest of the Omegas knew that was their cue to do the same. Eggsy saw Kara going toward one of the Alphas who’d come alone and then he went back to focusing on Merlin. He waited just beside his Alpha, standing as he had been when the Omegas had been waiting, until Merlin and, well Eggsy had already forgotten his name, paused in their conversation long enough for Merlin to give Eggsy a drink order. He curtsied and left for the kitchen. Their hostess had a couple people - mostly Betas from what Eggsy had seen - taking care of things in the house, including, thankfully, actually filling drink orders and cooking.

While he was waiting on the drink, he went over to there the hors d’Oeuvres were. There were three different… _things_. Eggsy didn’t know fucking fancy food. With a shrug, he put one of each on a plate, and went back to wait for the drink. Nervously.

This was the part he’d been most worried about, the actual serving. He had never realized how hard it was to walk quickly while still appearing to be doing nothing more than sauntering, while balancing varying plates and cups on his hand or arm. He had spent _hours_ trying to get this part down.

When it came, he set the drink on the flat of his palm and worked the plate off the edge of the counter and onto his free hand. He propped it up on his fingers and turned, a bit slowly, back toward the lounge. He nearly froze there, not wanting to take the first quick but not hurried step, but once he took it, the glass and plate stayed where he held them.

He made his way back to Merlin and offered both the drink and the plate. They weren’t thrust to him; he simply stood where he was expected to with his head bowed and both items held at chest height. He’d expected that Merlin would take them and he would go back to where he’d been waiting.

That was not what happened, and Eggsy had to fight down a grin when Merlin sat the glass back on Eggsy’s hand and kept his own free. He couldn’t have even said later what Merlin and the Alpha talked about. All that really existed for him in those moments were the glass, the plate, and Merlin.

5

Aeons later, after the last of the drinks were finished, Beth announced dinner. Merlin pulled Eggsy aside before they went into the dining room. Eggsy’s color was high and Merlin could very nearly see sparkles in the Omega’s eyes.

“Enjoying yourself so far?”

“Yes, Hamish.” His voice was breathy.

He put his hand on the back of Eggsy’s neck and squeezed. “Good.”

He gave Eggsy’s neck another squeeze and went into the dining room. Eggsy stayed behind him, but once they were at the table, he stepped around Merlin and pulled out the chair for him. Merlin touched Eggsy’s hand as he sat, and it sent shivers up the Omega’s spine.

With the exception of the two solo Alphas, each Alpha had an empty chair beside them; they had an Omega Eggsy hadn’t met taking care of them. Orders for dinner beverages were taken and filled. The Omegas returned with trays, holding both drinks and two bowls of soup. They served their Alphas first, and then set their own on the table before putting the tray on a counter back out of the way.

But none of them sat right away. They each waited for their own Alpha to either invite them to sit or not. Merlin put his hand on the back of Eggsy’s chair, watching him with a smirk. Eggsy fought hard to not grin; he knew he was being teased.

“I’d leave yeh standing and on display if it wouldn’t imply that I was unhappy with yeh.” He tipped Eggsy a wink and nodded toward the table.

As soon as Merlin’s hand was off the chair, Eggsy sat. He paid little attention to the conversation, mostly because his mind was otherwise occupied. Not only because he was still flying high. Not only with making sure Merlin had everything he needed, that his glass was never empty, that the bread basket closest to them always had something in it. But he had no idea how to use all this fancy silverware.

The Omegas were expected to wait until their Alpha gave them permission to eat before starting, and that was fine with Eggsy. It gave him an excuse to watch Merlin and figure out what he was supposed to be using. And, well, it gave him an excuse to stare adoringly at him.

He heard his name mentioned a couple times, usually with a comment on how he looked, but it was a somewhat distant recognition. With each course, he cleared Merlin’s dishes and brought him new ones. And while the food was good, just like the conversation, he couldn’t really have said what he’d actually eaten after.

6

Eggsy couldn’t have said what happened. He’d been in the lounge, kneeling beside Merlin, who’d taken up a spot on a sofa. He’d been holding a small tray up for Merlin, with a drink and some small fruits on it. He’d gone back into the kitchen at one point to refill Merlin’s drink, and then… And then... Right, there had been a bright pain and a noise. But he hadn’t been in the kitchen when that happened. 

Now he was laying over the edge of a bed. It took a minute for the fog in his brain to clear enough to realize there was a hand around his neck and someone who was not Merlin was fucking him from behind. He tried to struggle, but the hand just tightened. He was in too bad of a position and everything felt too heavy for him to get the hand off of his neck or to get out from under the Alpha.

It was over fast enough, or maybe he’d just been unconscious for most of it. The Alpha got off of him and Eggsy, no longer pinned by his weight, slid off the bed and onto the floor. When had he even gotten into a bedroom?

He looked up at the Alpha, the world spinning from that small movement. The Alpha - and Eggsy couldn’t think of his name, but he’d been one that hadn’t come with an Omega - had taken out a roll of cash and pulled several bills from the center, dropping them in front of Eggsy before calmly leaving the room. He pulled the door shut behind him.

It took him a few minutes for Eggsy to feel stable enough to sit up. The side of his face felt wet and his hand came away bloody when he touched it. 

Bleeding. _Bleeding_? He’d done something wrong? Something _really_ wrong? He couldn’t remember.

He could see where the splatters of blood came in the room and over to the end of the bed. There was probably more on the coverlet, but checking meant getting up, which meant moving. Instead, he picked the bills up, more out of learned habit, and wondered what he’d done to piss Dean off now. Must have been bad for Dean to hit him upside the head with something. A bruised face sorta bothered some clients, and that meant less money for the fucker.

And then he shook his head, trying to clear the fog and confusion, although he only succeeded in making the pain worse and making himself dizzy again. He’d automatically thought of Dean, even having not seen the Beta for months.

Had _Merlin_ hit him? It had to have been Merlin. Fuck, _what did he do_?

He tried to stand again and it made his stomach roll over. _Fuck this, fuck this, fuck this,_ he thought, leaning against the bed. He rolled the bills in his hands, idly toying with them, and wondering why he’d been paid. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d been whored out, but… never by Merlin.

He tried to think, tried to remember what was in that blind spot between being in the kitchen and then a bedroom. He’d been… asked? No, no. The Alpha had checked to see if he was busy. He hadn’t been; Merlin hadn’t wanted another drink and was done with the fruit. So the Alpha had told Eggsy to lead him to the upstairs restroom. And he’d done so. And then…

And then he was on the bed.

He sighed, although it came out as more of a groan. His muddled brain had slowly connected the pieces: concussion. It was hardly the first time in his life, but _fuck_ , what the Hell had he even _done_?

It was maybe a quarter hour before he tried standing again. He still felt nauseous and dizzy, but he could at least stand again. He saw more blood in the hallway, and found the start of the trail: the doorframe of the half-bath he’d brought the fucker to. It had a decent sized crack where the blood was. Either he’d been slammed into it hard or it was cheap wood. Or both.

Maybe it hadn’t been Merlin who’d hit him. But Merlin had said no one else was allowed to do anything but tell him when he’d done something wrong.

He went over to the sink and washed the side of his head off. The cuts weren’t bad, just fucking headwounds bled like you were dying. It wasn’t entirely done bleeding, but at least it was slow enough for the time being. He checked under the sink - instantly regretting leaning over - but found nothing to clean his blood out of the carpet with. He cleaned his blood off of the wall and returned to the bedroom to pull the coverlet off the bed. He left it by the door and went, slowly, back downstairs to find Kara; he found her in the kitchen

“Kara?” Fuck, he was slurring. Yeah, he got hit _good_.

“About time you turned up.” She didn’t look up from what she was doing, and she sounded annoyed with him. “Hamish has been wondering where you got to. I don’t think he’s exactly happy about this.”

Great. Whored out and now Merlin _was_ angry with him.“Kara, look-”

“I know this is your first time, but there are certain things you’re-”

“I just need somethin’ to clean up blood with,” he overrode her, a bit more loudly than he meant to. He sighed. “Hamish can... he can deal with me after, alright.”

“Blood?” She looked over at him finally. Her eyes widened at the way his hair was wet and matted down on one side. He was pale, and he was swaying slightly. “Sit down.”

He shook his head a little, wincing as he did. “No there’s blood. I need to clean it before it stains.”

She took him by the shoulders and forcibly guided him to a chair and into it. “You stay.”

She left him for a couple minutes. When she returned, both Beth and Merlin were with her. He didn’t even look up at Merlin. He just held the money up to him.

“‘s all he gave me,” he said quietly, hoping that the offering would cool the Alpha’s anger with him. “Cracked a door frame when I hit it. Couldn’t really… stand for a bit”

“‘All. He gave you’,” Merlin repeated slowly.

Eggsy lowered his hand. He wanted to apologize, to explain that he’d been hit hard enough to forget, but apologies and explanations never did anything but make Alphas angry. He turned his head to the side, keeping the injured side away from the Alphas. And he waited. He waited for the blows to come.

“Do yeh know which one it was?”

Eggsy shivered at the restrained anger in Merlin’s voice. _Which one_? His voice was so, so very quiet when he spoke. “I don’t… The, the last one? I blacked out. He’s the only one I remember.”

Merlin gave a start. “No, no Sean. Which _Alpha_? Do yeh remember his name?”

“No.” His voice trembled. He couldn’t let himself cry, not with Merlin right there and angry. Not when he so clearly deserved whatever Merlin was going to do to him.

Beth whispered to Merlin, and she and Kara left. The most obvious place to start was to see if anyone had left. And they figured Hamish and Sean probably needed a moment alone.

Merlin pulled a chair over and sat in front of Eggsy. “Can yeh follow my finger?”

Eggsy shrugged slightly without looking up. “I’ve had a concussion before; pretty sure that’s all this is. I don’t remember what I did wrong though.”

“What you did wrong?”

“Yeah. I remember going upstairs, and I saw where. Where I hit the wall. But I-I don’t remember hitting it or… doing what I did.” He looked up at Merlin; the Alpha could see how dazed Eggsy was. And the silent plea in his eyes. “What did I do? Tell me, please. I won’t do it again.”

“Yeh think I…?” Merlin lowered his voice to barely a whisper. “Eggsy, yeh didn’t do anything wrong. I didn’t know anything had happened. Truth be told, I was lookin’ for yeh when Beth came to tell me you’d been hurt.”

Eggsy lowered his head again. He was still clutching the money. Merlin had never seen Eggsy acting so… so _broken_. He thought about the day he’d caught Eggsy in his office, in his inner-fucking-sanctum. Eggsy had been so defiant and amused by the whole thing. Had this really been under that the entire time? How had he never realized? How had he never even considered…?

“Eggsy.”

Merlin touched Eggsy’s cheek. Eggsy turned toward the hand and kissed Merlin’s hand. There was no life in it; Eggsy’s expression didn’t even change. The Omega was just… trying to mollify him. Merlin had to fight, hard, to keep from just pulling his hand away.

“You don’t have to do that.”

Eggsy stilled, and Merlin lowered his hand, slowly so Eggsy wouldn’t again think he was about to be hit. He felt nauseated. He’d known Eggsy had been taught to fear Alphas and their reactions. He’d known Eggsy had run from a mate who’d brutalized him. But he’d attacked Hesketh, and he’d run. And Merlin’s mind kept circling back to that day in his office. He’d been furious and _this hadn’t shown_.

Questions occurred to him that just hadn’t before. Was this _why_ he’d given in so quickly to the bond forming with the three of them? Because they didn’t beat him? Because they didn’t force themselves on him? Because they didn’t treat him like a whore? Where was the line between what Eggsy, himself, wanted and what Eggsy wanted to do for them out of gratitude? Did Eggsy even know where that line was?

“Well,” Beth said, rather irritably, as she came back into the kitchen. She offered a folded piece of paper to Merlin. “One person left. There’s his info. I’d say we can call the authorities and you can report..” Her lip pulled back in a snarl. “...whatever they call it. Misuse of property or theft or whatever else. But you know they won’t come out to this neighborhood.”

“Too many ‘freaks’.” Merlin took the paper from her and read the information on it. ‘Kimball’; Merlin remembered who that was, and quite well. He'd been one of the ones who'd commented on Eggsy at dinner.

“Mm-hmm.” She knelt down by Eggsy and gently tipped his head up to make him look at her. She lowered her voice, being soft and gentle with him. “Kara told me how worried you were about the blood. If you’re hurt again here, I want you to worry about you, not about my carpets, okay?”

Eggsy met her eyes, shifted them to Merlin, and then looked away again.

She looked up at Merlin and stood. “I’m sorry Sean’s first time here ended like this.” She paused. “I suppose I don’t have to bother warning people about Kimball?”

“No’ after Harry and I get done wi’ him.” The Alpha was nearly growling.

She nodded. She wasn’t going to ask what, exactly, was going to happen. If Hamish said someone wouldn’t be a problem again, well, they wouldn’t be. “We broke the party up, if you want to take him home.” She kissed him on the cheek, touched Eggsy’s cheek, and then left the two alone.

Merlin guided Eggsy to his feet. He could see Eggsy still swaying a little, enough so that he didn’t want the Omega walking. He picked Eggsy up, and Eggsy turned his head against Merlin’s chest. He carried Eggsy out to the car, although his mind had, again, circled back to the questions he’d finally found himself asking.

7

Merlin’s first stop had been medical. Eggsy could say it was ‘just’ a concussion all he wanted; Merlin needed to be sure that he was… well… not likely to drop dead. The shift doctor had confirmed Eggsy’s belief and told Merlin to keep an eye on him for the next 24 hours. Including waking him occasionally during the night to make certain he could wake up normally.

He brought Eggsy back to the apartment; Eggsy had been steady enough to Merlin’s satisfaction to walk by that point. He wanted… no, he _needed_ to do something for his Omega. Something to make him remember, for lack of a better term, that he was cared for, and that what happened was not something Merlin was all right with. Or that Harry would be all right with.

He got one of Harry’s bathrobes, helped Eggsy out of the dress, and wrapped him up in it. He guided Eggsy to the couch, got him some water, and - after hunting around for one of Harry’s stashes - some chocolate. And then he sat with Eggsy, holding him lightly enough that the Omega could pull away if he wanted to, and gently stroking his hair.

They’d been sitting like that for some time when Eggsy spoke. It was the first time he’d spoken since asking Merlin what he’d done wrong.

“I won’t fight.”

“What?”

Eggsy looked up at him. He was so confused, so uncertain. “If you wanna fuck me or… or whatever.”

Merlin sat back from him a bit. “Why would I do that?”

“You haven’t beaten me.” The ‘yet’ was unspoken, but so very clear that Eggsy may as well have said it.

Merlin opened his mouth to say something, but no words came. That Eggsy expected to be punished for… for what? Being raped? Because of the money that had been thrown at him? Because he, Merlin, had been so clearly angry?

He shook his head finally. “Eggsy, no. No. I’m not going to hurt yeh. And you didn’t do anything wrong.”

He kissed Eggsy’s forehead, his cheeks, his mouth, and then so gently over his injury. He could feel himself shaking. He’d never realized. He’d never even _considered_.

“No one’s going to hurt yeh.”

He wanted to apologize to Eggsy. To tell Eggsy that he’d never wanted him to be afraid, that he’d never wanted him to be hurt. But with Eggsy in this state, with him thinking how he was right now, Merlin thought it would only frighten him more. After all, when did an Alpha ever apologize to an Omega?

“Is it alright if I hold you again? You don’t have to say ‘yes’, Eggsy. You _never_ have to.”

Eggsy didn’t answer him straight away. He just turned his head away from Merlin, but not before the Alpha had seen how much more that confused Eggsy. After what felt like hours to Merlin, although he knew it hadn’t been more than two or three minutes, Eggsy nodded and leaned against him. Merlin wrapped both of his arms around Eggsy this time, holding him tightly, his head resting on Eggy’s.

They sat like that for a long time, until Merlin had realized Eggsy had fallen asleep against him. He picked Eggsy up, soothing him back to sleep when he stirred, and carried him into the guest room. He’d thought about bringing Eggsy to his and Harry’s room. _Briefly_ thought about and then dismissed it. Merlin tucked Eggsy into bed and sat with him until he was asleep again.

And then he returned to the couch, leaving the guest room door open just enough that he’d be able to hear if Eggsy needed him. He sat there for nearly an hour before Harry got home. Harry checked his watch before speaking.

“And here I thought I’d be home before you.”

“Eggsy was… attacked.”

Harry’s expression immediately darkened. He didn’t need Merlin to define ‘attacked’, and he didn’t want him to. He would have his fear confirmed all too soon as it was. “At the party?”

Merlin nodded.

“Is he…?” He trailed off before finishing the question. He knew Eggsy had anything _but_ alright. But there were so many degrees of how not alright the Omega could be.

“I don’t know.” Merlin sighed. “Did you know, Harry? Did you know how broken he is?”

Harry looked away, and Merlin could see both the knowledge and the pain in his mate’s face. He’d been the only one who hadn’t realized, and that shook him all the worse.

“Yeh knew.”

Harry went over and sat with him. “No. I’d _suspected_ , but I didn’t _know_. He does an excellent job of hiding it. Every so often, there’s a hint in his eyes or how he reacts. I assume he learned to act the way he normally does as a survival mechanism.”

“How do we know, Harry? How do we know he actually wants this? To be with us and belong to us?”

“I suppose we don’t. But… we take things slowly with him. We support him, we encourage him. And if Eggsy comes to realize this was all just out of gratitude, we let him go.”

It was why Harry had never tried to bed Eggsy, despite how badly he wanted to. He wanted to be certain the Omega wanted it, and not just to please Harry. He was planning on letting Eggsy bring it up first. He wanted Eggsy to set the speed for what happened and when.

“I’m going to sit up. Eggsy needs to be woken up every so often.” Merlin said after a few minutes. “Go on to bed.”

But Harry didn’t go. He sat with Merlin, both of them keeping watch over Eggsy. He woke up fine every time one of them went in, and fell back to sleep easily enough. And they worried over him, worried over how he would act come morning. They hoped that with some sleep, the face he normally showed would be back. Not because Eggsy needed to hide how he really felt, but because that was how Eggsy normally presented. 

When morning came, Merlin took out his phone.

_Good morning, Michelle. I’m sorry to message you so early, but I thought you should know that Harry and I will be looking after Sean today. He was attacked at the party, and rather badly at that, by a young Alpha by the name of Kimball._

_He has a concussion and he was badly shaken last night. We won’t know just how badly shaken until he gets up. I’ll message you again when he does, as I assume you’ll be wanting to stop by._

_I also have Kimball’s information, just in case you’d like to pay him a visit._

He read over the message a few times before sending it with something of a smirk. Sure, he and Harry could go and track him down. But why deny him the humiliation he’d surely feel of being beaten by an Omega.

Not that he’d feel it all that long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Totally forgot and needed to add!
> 
> Special shout out to my wife for helping me with high protocol dinners, cos she's done them and I haven't.  
> And to Mistress Zeneca/Starseer (fetlife) for publishing her personal high protocol manual online.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry/Eggsy fluff and angst.  
> Michelle & Merlin field trip.  
> Merlin/Eggsy fluff and angst.  
> Also, a touch of world building.

1

It wasn’t even an hour after Merlin texted Michelle that he heard Eggsy moving around in the bedroom. He put his hand on Harry’s knee, squeezing lightly as he stood. The days when they could do all-nighters standing on their heads were well behind them.

“Double?”

Harry gave a short laugh. “I think today’s going to be more of a triple day, dear.”

Merlin, already headed into the kitchen, made a sound of agreement. Merlin had gotten Harry an espresso machine for his birthday a few years back; it was highly debatable which of them used it more. He set a cup up for Harry and let the machine do its magic, his mind a million miles away. Well, more accurately, pinned on that fucking Alpha.

He’d just set Harry’s cup aside to make his own when a smaller frame pressed against him from behind, arms wrapping around him. He hadn’t actually registered that Eggsy had gotten out of the shower. His distraction aside, it hadn’t helped that Eggsy was still wrapped in Harry’s bathrobe; the scent on that and from the soap had overridden most of Eggsy’s natural scent.

“How’d you sleep?”

“Brilliantly, except these two guys kept waking me up just cos some doctor told them to. That Harry’s?”

Merlin nodded. He was a little relieved to see Eggsy acting, well, like Eggsy again. He wasn’t certain, however, if he should treat Eggsy normally or delicately. He’d never _been_ this uncertain, and he didn’t like it. He didn’t _like_ knowing he had to second guess everything he said and did, or something disastrous could happen.

And it was _not_ lost on him, not after thinking about it all night, that this was how Eggsy went through life.

“You want one?”

“Nah,” Eggsy said, moving away from him and picking up Harry’s cup. He took a long, slow sip of it. “‘s good, though.”

Merlin shook his head a little. “He asked for a triple for a reason.”

Eggsy grinned. “Well, Harry’s Arthur, innit he? King’s are supposed to have people taste their stuff first so they ain’t poisoned.”

He carried the cup out to Harry and handed the cup over as he sat. He curled up, meaning to sit on his legs, but then stopped midway and lay them over Harry’s lap instead. He settled with his back against the arm of the couch.

“Thank you, Eggsy.”

He let the robe fall open slightly. “So you n’ Merlin have to babysit me all day, huh?”

Harry chuckled and, giving Eggsy a knowing look, smoothed out the robe. He kept the motion almost professional and did not miss the openly confused look it got from the Omega. “While I wouldn’t, necessarily, call this ‘baby-sitting’, I suppose it isn’t an inapt name. We’re simply keeping an eye on you to be certain-”

“That I’m fine,” Eggsy finished, somewhat impatiently. “Honestly, Harry. You both act like I’ve never had a concussion.”

“Generally speaking, when one cares for someone and they have a concussion, one _worries_ over that someone.”

Eggsy opened his mouth to give some smart-arsed answer and then closed his mouth again. Harry was not surprised that the blunt reminder that they cared for Eggsy had quieted him. It bothered him, though, how much of a commonplace element this seemed in Eggsy’s life. He felt it would do no good to ask, not at this point anyway. Eggsy, either trying to not worry Harry and Merlin or recognizing that this was not something Harry considered normal, would be likely to play it off as having only happened once or twice.

Merlin returned from the kitchen, carrying his own cup and a second, which he handed to Eggsy. Eggsy took it and lowered his head, looking almost abashed. It wasn’t until he sat down that he could see that Eggsy was trying to hide how happy that had made him.

It didn’t click for Merlin until he took a sip of his own espresso, as it was only then that Eggsy drank. It wasn’t an uncommon thing with Alphas and their Omegas, that the the Omega wait until their master begins to eat as, ideally, a showing of submission and respect. The espresso was, essentially, passing for breakfast. For Merlin, he’d just made another cup since Eggsy had shown interest, and nothing more. For Eggsy, however, his Alpha had just made and presented breakfast to him.

The shy giddiness was, suddenly, quite understandable to him. He had to wonder what Eggsy would think if he told the Omega that he generally made the espresso. It wasn’t that Harry was incapable, it just was how things had developed. And he usually brought it out to Harry, too. As with many things in their relationship, it had nothing to do with which of them was more or less Alpha and was just part of what happens when two Alphas fall in love.

Merlin wasn’t able to go too far down that train of thought when there was a brief knock followed by Michelle bursting in on them. She looked harried and upset.

“I’m sorry to bother, but I knew one of you would be up, and-” She stopped, looking at Eggsy as if she hadn’t known full well he was awake. “You’re awake. I brought you some clothes.” She brought them over to him while speaking. “Lee’s already left, and I forgot, entirely, about my hair appointment. This place is _always_ booked solid.” She put her hand on Eggsy’s chin and made him move his head this way and that so she could get a good look at the wound. “I can’t exactly drive myself. Lee said you both took the day to watch Eggsy. Can one of you take me?”

“That’s certainly no problem,” Harry began. “I can-”

“I’ll go,” Merlin said quite simply. “You haven’t spent much time, just the two of yeh. I don’t mind.”

“Merlin, I really wouldn’t be bothered.”

Merlin nodded. “Oh, I know, but yeh haven’t showered and your curls are fighting through again. I doubt Michelle wants to wait two hours while yeh tame them.”

Harry gave an incredulous laugh. “It hardly takes _two_ hours.”

“Ninety minutes then,” he said standing.

He went over and kissed Harry, not unaware of the curious, and somewhat analytical, way Eggsy watched them. It was another thing that had simply developed the way it had; another thing that, upon a moment’s reflection, didn’t seem odd that Eggsy had watched them that way. There was no struggle for dominance between them, and neither one of them was more in control than they other. He touched Eggsy’s chin before leaving, and Eggsy did not miss the amused look his mother gave Merlin.

“He ain’t wrong,” Eggsy said, eying the way Harry’s hair was fighting to curl up. He realized he’d never seen Harry’s hair natural looking, and not plastered against his head. And just how curly was it? He set his mostly empty cup aside and jumped up, holding his hands out to Harry.

Harry looked as though he was having a serious inner debate. And it was primarily because Eggsy had already made a pass at him once this morning. It wasn’t that he was opposed to the idea of having sex with Eggsy; quite the opposite, really. He was worried about Eggsy, and not just from the concussion. But he stood and took Eggsy’s hands anyway, and allowed himself to be led into his bedroom. And then… into the master bath.

Eggsy grinned at him and, letting go of him, whirled and went over to the bathtub. He let the water run over his wrist for quite some time, making minute adjustments to the knobs. Harry was surprised at the Omega’s concentration on this, as if the bath temperature being perfect would decide the fate of millions. When he was finally satisfied, he looked over at Harry. 

“You’ve got bath oils or something, right? Where are they?”

“Under there,” Harry said, motioning to the sink. 

Eggsy got the oil and added some to the bath. Harry watched, somewhat amused, as Eggsy flitted around the bathroom, getting this and that and the other thing, all while paying attention to the water level.

“Now’s good to get undressed,” he said as he brought towels over. He set them down and smirked up at Harry. “Want me to do it?”

“I think I can manage,” Harry had already started unbuttoning his shirt.

Eggsy opened his mouth a bit, and it was clear that he hadn’t been expecting that. It was the second time Harry had deflected his advances. Harry was a fucking puzzle to him some of the time. He knew the Alpha wanted to fuck him, and he was going to be all too happy to oblige. 

He waited until Harry was settled in the water before shrugging the robe off. He took two very slow, very deliberate steps toward the bath. He was about ready to threaten to go get ice from the freezer and dump it on Harry. He might not be good at a lot of things, but he _knew_ how to fuck and fuck well, and he knew how to be enticing.

Harry leaned back, eying him casually. Eggsy was being enticing, yes, but he also had a look in his eye. And it was almost like seeing a glint of steel. “You look…” he paused for a moment, “...like you’re either forcing yourself to do this or you’re about to challenge me.”

The threat about the ice was halfway to his lips before what Harry said, and not just the tone, processed. He tipped his head slightly and then shook it. “No… I don’t… What?”

“Now, if you want to join me, you’re welcome to. But only if you _want_ to.”

Eggsy stared at him, opened his mouth to say something, closed it, and then started again. “So we’re doing what I want?”

“That was the general implication, yes.”

How was it shit like that could just roll off Harry’s tongue and sound so fucking natural? And not like a fucking put-on? He was so… so… He was so fucking superior and dominant without making it seem like he even was trying. And it wasn’t like the rush-without-looking-like-it trick he’d been pulling off the night before. This was something completely different. And fucking hot.

“Then you’re gonna throw me down and fuck me, yeah?”

Harry chuckled, his voice low enough that it send shivers up Eggsy’s spine. “Let’s start with the bath, hm?”

“Alright. Gonna let me get behind you then?”

Harry’s brow rose at the half-request, half-demand. It was very interesting to him that Eggsy could get like this, that he could bring out the steel inside of him at odd moments. Harry had little doubt that if he raised his voice or did something similar, Eggsy would make a point of pushing that steel down.

He moved forward so Eggsy could do as he pleased. Eggsy slid in behind him, slipping his legs around Harry’s waist, letting his feet rest on Harry’s thighs. And he tried very hard to not be, well, _hard_. It was a valiant, if unsuccessful, attempt.

He pulled Harry back against him. The Alpha let his head rest against Eggsy’s chest, his eyes open and a smile playing at his lips. Eggsy started wetting Harry’s hair down, scooping just enough water up and running it through the still-tamed hair.

He was a little amused at how much crap was in Harry’s hair, and it took him quite some time to work it apart enough for him to start working shampoo into it. By that point, Harry’s eyes had slipped closed. He wasn’t asleep, but Eggsy could see him edging that way.

“Suppose you’ve got one of those ‘leave in for two hours while you soak’ conditioners.”

“Fifteen minutes is sufficient, thank you.”

Eggsy grinned at the admonition. The look on Harry’s face hadn’t changed, and it made Eggsy a bit too happy that he could tease the Alpha just the way Merlin had and get only a similar response. As much as he wanted Harry to utterly possess him, he wanted _this_ , too. This glimmer of being the Alpha’s equal, even if it wasn’t true.

“Well, ain’t got a timer on me. You know anything else that’ll take fifteen minutes?”

The little, relaxed smile turned into something more of a smirk, and Harry opened his eyes. He stared up at Eggsy, silently, for a moment. Eggsy hadn’t expected the intensity of the man to be so clear even while looking down at Harry.

“Not when there’s two people involved, no.”

The tone sent pleasant shivers through him and Eggsy laughed a little. “Guess I’ll have to wing it then,” he sounded breathy.

Harry could feel Eggsy’s hands shaking as the Omega washed his hair. It was something he had missed. The feeling of an excited Omega tending to him, the anticipation between them growing. The knowing that eventually the Omega would be kneeling before him, begging to be taken.

“How the fuck do you even do that?”

“Hm?”

“I always thought… you know… being able to look down at an Alpha would make him look less… I. I don’t know.”

“Superior, perhaps.”

Eggsy hesitated and then sighed. “Yeah. That. Exactly that.”

He lifted his head enough for Eggsy to get to the back of it more easily. “‘There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.’ Have you heard that before?”

Eggsy shook his head.

“I’d be more surprised if you had, honestly. I measure myself against myself, and I have no need to convince you of what I see.” He made a derisive sound that wasn’t exactly a scoff. “If the things that make me an Alpha can be taken away just because you’re physically above me, then I don’t deserve to _be_ an Alpha.”

“Well, it. It’s kinda what your born as, innit it? I mean, it don’t hit until puberty, but, it’s still there, yeah?”

“Just because one is born a king, it does not make one fit to _be_ one.”

That brought another of those pleasant shivers through Eggsy. He wasn’t sure how much of it was the bond and how much was just Harry, but he felt like he could listen to the Alpha talk like that for hours. 

“I guess. I mean, you’d know more about that than I would.”

“Would I?”

Eggsy fell silent, focusing on just rinsing the soap out of Harry’s hair. The way Harry had said that made him feel… well, not _stupid_ , but _something_. He was just going to pointedly ignore it and pass the question off as rhetorical and work on putting the fancy-arsed conditioner in Harry’s hair.

“Are you going to answer me?”

The question was soft, almost casually thrown out there. If Harry had asked any other way, Eggsy would have just refused. But it was a request, not a demand. Maybe it was stupid, but he had a harder time considering telling Harry ‘no’ when it was a request than he did when it was a demand.

“It’s just. Well, you know we go to school until they figure out if we’re Omegas or not, yeah?”

“Yes. It’s a common practice.”

“So, I mean, I’ve _had_ basic biology lessons, Harry.”

Harry frowned and Eggsy wondered if he’d crossed some line. Harry sat up, and turned enough so he could look at Eggsy. “I’m not sure I follow.”

“Well… you know.”

Harry could see how uncomfortable Eggsy had become. He took the Omega’s hand and kissed the back of it, and then his wrist. “No, Eggsy, I _don’t_ know what you mean.”

Eggsy laughed softly. “About what makes Omegas Omegas. You know.”

Harry frowned again. “I’m afraid they neglected to teach us that when I was a child.”

Eggsy looked away shyly. “You mean when there were still dinosaurs?”

Harry chuckled. “Yes, and I rode my pet dinosaur uphill, both ways, to school.”

Eggsy looked back at him, feeling less uneasy. It was weird how one little teasing comment could make him feel on a more even footing with Harry. “Alright, so, back before we, like, _evolved_ or something. When we didn’t have cities and farming and all this shit yet. Back then, there weren’t Omegas. Well, there probably _were_ but they didn’t get to live to mate cos soon as they started showing the signs, you know, they’d be killed.”

“Really?” said Harry, all too pleasantly.

“Yeah! There were these, like, mass graves and shit that got dug up and scientists figured it out.”

“So why do you think we stopped that?”

“Because we got all civilized and shit. So now we can’t just _kill_ off people, so we had to be, you know…”

“Essentially enslaved?” Harry asked dryly.

“Well, yeah.” Eggsy shrugged. “I mean, I’d never admit as much to most people. But you’re… different. You. You _care_ about me, so I don’t mind. I mean, I don’t _like_ it, but I get it. Like. We’re almost not even the same species, basically.”

“Are we not?” There was that all-too-pleasant tone again.

“No. See, that’s why we developed such strong pheromones. So that an Omega could be recognized right off. We’re not as… evolved or something as Alphas and Betas. There’s an…” He trailed off, trying to pull the specifics up from the depths of his memory. “An inherent inferiority in… in the genetics of Omegas. It’s why, like, even though I hated… well, how they treated me, I still want to belong to you and to Merlin and to Tilde. Cos that inside me recognizes that I need to be owned and ruled.”

Harry had heard this particular brand of propaganda before. He’d had no idea it had been adopted as ‘scientific fact’ in schools. “Well, how do you explain Tilde, then?”

“She doesn’t have it. I think it’s like… um. You know, when you’ve got blue eyes and your mate does, too, but your kid has brown eyes cos your great-gramma had them?”

“Recessive?”

“Yeah, I think so. So it’s like. _There_ but she doesn’t have it. I mean, she’s still an Alpha.”

Harry stared at Eggsy for a moment, utterly nonplussed. He debated pointing out to Eggsy that this was, essentially, what he’d been saying about other Alphas and superiority. That it was as much who you were as what you were born.

“Tilde is an Omega,” he prompted gently.

Eggsy’s eyes narrowed, and Harry could see anger lurking just within. “She’s my _Alpha_.”

Harry nodded, letting that point drop. Eggsy didn’t want to see it, or perhaps simply couldn’t. He turned around again and leaned back on Eggsy. He waited until most of the rinse was out of his hair before asking, softly: “Did they say why we have children with Omegas?”

“No, but it makes sense enough, yeah?” He paused for a moment, figuring out how to word his thoughts. “Like, it’s a lot easier to have a kid with an Omega than with another Alpha or another Beta. We’ve got that need to be controlled, and. Well. Sometimes we ain’t got a choice. It’s gotta be easier than trying to… to…”

“To do like Merlin and I, and have a relationship that isn’t based on power and control?”

“Yeah! Exactly.”

“You know, I find this all terribly fascinating,” Harry said. “Perhaps when Merlin gets back, you could tell him all about these ‘scientific facts’ you’ve been taught.”

Eggsy, having only taken Harry’s overly pleasant tone as a good thing, agreed readily. It wasn’t every day you realized you knew something an Alpha didn’t.

02

“You’re sleeping with my son. I’m hardly going to be offended by you _kissing_ him,” Michelle commented once they were down the hall.

“I’m not sleeping with him,” Merlin protested, and not without a small note of annoyance in his voice.

“Yet.” Michelle gave him a knowing look. She knew very well what it meant to be owned by someone, especially so in this way. Ownership and sex often went hand-in-hand.

“Mm.” The noncommittal noise was all the comment should would get from him.

“I take it you didn’t tell Harry about our little trip.”

He shook his head. “And I’m glad yeh didn’t give him time ta ask.”

Michelle gave him an impish look. “And what makes you say that, hm?”

“One look at how you’re dressed.”

Her hair was pulled back, messily, in a high tail. Her shorts were abbreviated enough to almost be panties, her boots were mid-calf height, and she had a bright, nearly gaudy colored midriff top on. The outfit showed more of her scarring than she ever liked to. But some causes were worth personal discomfort.

She took a large pair of earrings out of her bag and started putting them on as they walked. Merlin could hear makeup containers clacking around in the bag.

“I’m surprised yeh didn’t go with fishnets while you were at it.”

“Oh, I thought about it. But I didn’t want Eggsy noticing them.” She pulled a ring box out of her bag. It was the only thing she wore that wasn’t gaudy looking. It was a plain, beveled band with several engraved stars on the top.

He looked sideways at her. “Why would that matter?”

“Because Dean owned him,” she said, as if that had been obvious.

“And…?”

She eyed Merlin for a moment, her eyes going wide and then quickly narrowing. She thought about just ignoring it, shrugging the entire thing off. But then she sighed. Eggsy had given into the bond with Harry and Merlin. Something else would eventually happen; maybe not the same thing as the night before but _something_. And they needed to know before that something appeared.

“It didn’t matter if it was an overshirt, stockings, gloves. Whatever. If he was sending you out to work, you wore one of them. He always insisted the take was better.”

“And you think this was a, mm, _normal_ part of his life?”

She nodded. “And probably not long after they realized he was an Omega. Spending too much time at home with him ended with my being beaten, fucked, or both. From what he’s told me, I know he spent a good deal of time taking care of the little ones with other Omegas. But I doubt Dean just left him to that all of the time.”

“Oh, for the love of...” Merlin shook his head.

Michelle offered him a bitter smile. “It never does cease to amaze me.”

“What?”

“That you can be so intelligent, and yet still so oblivious.”

03

The bath had _not_ ended the way Eggsy had expected. Instead, once Harry was dry, _Harry_ dried _him_ off, and then they’d gone into the bedroom. They’d gotten into the bed, Eggsy wrapping himself up in Harry and Merlin’s scents as much as the blanket, and Harry had insisted they were ‘just going to talk’. Eggsy had interpreted that as ‘just going to fuck’, until he looked at the clock and realized, somewhere, four hours had vanished.

“Did you just…” He stared at Harry, somewhat incredulously. “Did you just trick me into _napping_?”

Harry affected innocence. “Didn’t you want to sleep with me?”

“ _I_ did not say ‘sleep’. I said ‘fuck’.”

Harry chuckled. “Oh, so you did.” 

Eggsy slid his hand down Harry’s chest, and was surprised - and somewhat annoyed - to find it caught by Harry’s hand. “Do you just not want me to… to do anything?”

Harry twined his fingers around Eggsy’s own, and Eggsy just stared at him. “I want there to be an understanding between us.”

Eggsy nodded. “Yeah, no I get it. I do. When we’re in bed, it’s not like when we do this sorta stuff.” He touched his necklace. It was still missing the other two initials. “In bed, you’re my Alpha and I’m your Omega. What I want is secondary to what I get.”

Harry propped himself up on one arm, turning toward Eggsy but not letting go of his hand. “No. Eggsy, whatever we do, it is that sort of thing. The rules still apply, as does my want for you to enjoy this as much as I do.”

Eggsy shivered pleasantly. “Then… then what do I need to understand?”

“I expect _total_ honesty between us. Not editing yourself to what you _think_ I want to hear or know. Not what you think you shouldn’t say. Total. Complete. Honesty.”

Eggy’s eyes widened and he looked so unsure, and so afraid. Total honesty meant not lying about the things Alphas wanted to be lied to about. “Why?” It came out as almost a plea.

Harry smiled gently. “The fact that you even asked is why. Do you know how very easy it is to be blinded as an Alpha?”

Eggsy started to shake his head and then stopped himself. “You mean, like with an Omega? When we’re not… totally honest cos it’s safer?”

“Yes.” He sighed softly. “My last Omega was like you in some ways.”

“A brilliant fuck, adorable, and half your age?”

Harry gave him a mock sour look. “Adorable, yes, but not half my age. I was younger than you are, actually, and we were nearly the same age. And to be completely honest, yes, he was a brilliant fuck. More to the point, like you, he’d learned long before he came into my care how to hide what he was truly feeling. If I hadn’t been so oblivious to it, I would have seen it the way I have with you.”

Eggsy frowned. “What d’you mean?”

“I see it in your eyes sometimes. Or how you hold yourself. Very small things that most Alphas wouldn’t see.” He let go of Eggsy’s hand and rolled so he was half on top of him. “I don’t want to get into the fine details. I hope it suffices to say that I hurt him, very badly and without realizing it.”

“How? I mean… in general.”

Harry looked away from Eggsy. But Eggsy could still see the regret in his face, the pain. He’d cared about that Omega. The idea of an Alpha, so many years later, still feeling guilt over just hurting an Omega was such a strange concept for Eggsy.

“I didn’t realize that, whenever he answered me, he was answering me how he thought I wanted him to. He came to quickly learn my moods, and he would do very similar things to what you’ve been doing today. I never realized, or never wanted to, that he was doing what he thought I wanted.” He shook his head. “He ‘wanted’ what I wanted because I was good to him, or I thought I was at the time, and he didn’t want me to treat him the way other Alphas did.”

Eggsy looked momentarily guilty. Harry nodded as though Eggsy had spoken.

“Just the way you do, yes. It was a hard, and painful, lesson for me. A mistake I don’t wish to repeat.”

Eggsy smiled a little, wistfully. “He was your beloved pet, wasn't he?”

Harry frowned, confused by the wording. “What do you mean?”

“It’s the metaphor they taught us. An Alpha can love another Alpha or a Beta, and really, actually love them. But the best an Omega can hope for is being looked at like a beloved pet. You know, like those rich old guys who get one horse and give it like a hundred acres, and the best food, and a heated stable and all that good shit. Their owner might love them, but it’s they way they love a pet and not another person.”

“I have never heard that before. Make sure to tell Merlin that part, too, will you?”

Eggsy grinned, so proud of himself for knowing these things that Harry and Merlin didn’t.

“Now that I’ve told you the why, do you think you can do this?”

Eggsy was about to tell him ‘yes’, that he could do that. But then he stopped himself and shrugged. “I don’t. I don’t know. I mean, I can _try_.”

Harry kissed him, gently at first, and then more deeply. He felt Eggsy’s hands on his shoulders and then slip upward behind his neck. “Thank you. For being honest.”

He grinned a bit. “Well, if you’re gonna reward me _every_ time, I… well, I suppose I’ll manage it. Eventually.”

Harry laughed, low and quietly. “Will you answer something for me?”

“Yes, Harry.”

“Why… are you so very insistent all of a sudden that I fuck you?”

“Well, cos I know you want to. It’s not really hard to tell sometimes, and well, I wanna fuck, too, so.”

Harry gave Eggsy a stern look, but said nothing. Eventually, Eggsy lay his head back on the pillow, his hands slipping down to Harry’s arms, and he looked away.

“Cos. Well. There’s this whole mating bond thing that’s supposed to be between us, yeah? And I thought. Well.” He fell silent for a bit. He didn’t want to admit - not to Harry, not to Merlin, and certainly not to himself - how badly the night before had jarred him. Or how badly having the money thrown at him had scared him. Because he didn’t want to go back to _that_. “I thought that, maybe, if… you know… we fucked, you’d feel more like I was _yours_. And not. Send. Me out. To. Work.”

Harry kissed Eggsy’s jaw and put a hand on his cheek. He guided the Omega to look at him. “Sex was always going to happen between us in time. But you being sent out to ‘work’ was never going to happen.”

Eggsy looked more than a little surprised at the idea of ‘sex’ and not ‘fucking’. It was common enough among Omegas for ‘fucking’ to mean ‘sex’, ‘forced sex’, or ‘rough sex’. After all, it _was_ often enough all the same for them. But the actual _word_ sex; he’d never heard it used without the implication of _consent_.

“Never…?”

Harry smiled gently. “Well, if you decided you wanted the money _and_ wanted to earn it that way, Merlin and I would make sure you were as safe as possible. But no one is going to make you. And…” He sighed. “Frankly, I don’t want you to. As you may recall: I _am_ territorial.”

Eggsy put a hand on Harry’s cheek, and he replayed what Harry said over and over in his mind. Harry didn’t want him to work like that, didn’t want him fucking anyone who was willing to pay. Maybe, someday, Harry _would_ look at him like he was a beloved pet. It was all he could hope for.

“What was his name?” he asked softly.

“Gerald.”

“Did you two… have this bond?”

Harry shook his head. “ I never expected to have it with anyone. Much less with the son of one of my oldest friends.”

“So… what now?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well.” Eggsy was silent a moment, figuring out how to word this. This whole being honest with his Alpha was daunting, to say the least. “We’re not... having sex. Today. Obviously. So…”

Harry laughed softly. “I was quite enjoying laying beside you and just talking.”

“Me, too.”

04

Michelle had been watching him for the last ten minutes. She’d had her phone out, acting as if she was listening to someone, but she was just watching him. She waited for him to come within earshot before making her move.

“No, no I under-” She paused. “I will. You don’t have to do that. You won’t. I promise.”

She put the phone in her purse and approached him. “Hey, honey. Lookin’ for a date?”

He positively _towered_ over her. His lip pulled back slightly, but there was no real aggression in it. She’d done this for long enough when she'd still belonged to Dean that she knew from the look in their eyes if they were interested or not. And he was.

“You. Look cheap.”

She gave him a desperate, but placating smile. She put her hands on his belt and gave him a slight tug. “I can be. Come on, honey. I’m good.”

“How cheap?”

She shook her head. “Whatever. I just gotta bring _something_ home.”

“What if you don’t?”

“He gonna beat the fuck out of me. Please?”

He smirked and put a hand on the back of her neck. “Alright, let’s go have a cheap date.”

She led him to an abandoned looking building. Some of the windows were boarded up and it looked a bit rundown. She heard him laugh softly and she gave him a poor waif smile.

“It’s cheaper than a room, and it’s nicer inside than it looks.”

“Sure it is.”

She led him inside and she hadn’t been lying. It _was_ nicer inside and well maintained, and clearly a building still in use on a regular basis. Kingsman kept several buildings like this; the outside was a facade that helped keep most people away. Usually, there were a couple members of security around to keep out the rest. She let him look around curiously for a moment.

“Why don’t we get started,” she said in a sultry little voice, and touched the contact on the ring.

He turned around to face her, and was almost amused when she went to - of all things - punch him. This little, tiny Omega who wasn’t even half his weight. He didn’t even try to stop her, and once she’d connected, he wasn’t able to. The electricity coursed through him, and he went down, his muscles continuing to twitch for some time.

“Well done,” Merlin said, coming out from one of the rooms.

“Help me get him downstairs.” Her lips were pulled back in a snarl. It was taking every ounce of self-control to keep from attacking the unconscious Alpha.

His brow rose at her tone, but he said nothing. She could be so… so _unlike_ an Omega. It wasn’t that she put on airs and tried to act as her betters. It was just _her_. And while he’d never understood it, he had, at least, learned not to comment on it.

They got him into the lift and Michelle raised her brow at the number Merlin pushed, but said nothing about it. The building had a basement, a sub-basement, and then a floor that only Harry, Lee, or Merlin could authorize the use of. She had never been inside of it, and Lee wouldn’t tell her what was in it. She had ideas, sure, but nothing concrete. And if she was right, and she _asked_ Merlin about him bringing her there, well, he might not let her.

When the lift stopped, he put his hand on the biometric reader and, after a moment, it beeped and the door slid open. She followed him inside, silently, as if she thought reminding him of her presence would end the same as if she asked him about it. She looked around, slowly, and without moving from her spot just in front of the lift.

The room was made of stone bricks and she could see rings in the walls and ceiling. They were between the stones, in the thin lines of mortar. She had a feeling the bars of the rings were as long as the bricks were wide, and held in place from the other side. The thought made her shiver. There would be no working on them, trying to get them loose enough to come out and make escape possible.

There was a number of drains set into the floor, and thick pipes hanging from the ceiling. She followed the course of one and found a storage area. There was a wooden tub with a metal chair sitting inside of it. Without realizing it, she put her hand on the lift door to keep from shrinking back. It had been a learned habit to keep herself still in the face of a beating. Even though she knew, rationally, that she had nothing to fear from Merlin, the room frightened her.

“Help me, would yeh?” 

She stifled a little, surprised cry. “Yeah. Sure. What d’you need?”

Either Merlin hadn’t noticed her fear or didn’t care. Or maybe he was just deep enough in his own head to not notice. It was something she’d seen over the years. When he was angry, he was quiet and emotionally detached. It had taken her a long time to realize he ran _cold_. 

He offered her one end of a rope, which she took, but hesitantly. “Can yeh do this?”

She nodded. “Yeah. I can.”

“Good.”

He boosted her up and she threaded it through a pulley. She brought it down with her and he had her pull enough slack until it was just a couple feet from the floor. He left it for the moment and went to work on the unconscious Alpha. Merlin tied his legs together just above the knee and at his ankles. He had Michelle hold the Alpha’s arms behind his back so Merlin could tie them at the elbow and wrist. He used the elbow tie as a handle of sorts and dragged the Alpha so that his tied arms were under the hanging rope, and then he tied that to the rope around his wrists. He was just starting to come around when Merlin clipped the ropes at his knees to the floor.

And then he waited; waited for the first confused word and jerked the rope, yanking the tied wrists up mercilessly. He screamed as his arms were pulled up at an unnatural angle, forcing him into an almost bowed position. Michelle cringed; she’d heard something tear. Despite her reaction, she had no sympathy for him in her heart, and it made her darkly pleased to see him in this position.

“I’ll kill you for this, you fucking bitch,” he snarled. He had no idea how she’d done it, how she’d gotten someone so much larger and heavier than she down here and into this position. But he was certain he was going to kill her. He’d _buy_ her if he had to.

“Now, is that any way to speak to my friend?” Merlin asked, his tone casual, as he was tying the rope off.

“Who the fuck are-” He tried to turn, to find the speaker whose voice he recognized but couldn’t immediately place. It was a mistake and he bit down on a scream.

Merlin walked around him, his steps slow and deliberate, and stopped only when he was in front of the bound man. “I’m sure if yeh thought about it, yeh’d remember.”

He looked up as best as he could. The voice and the scent finally clicking into place. “You? What the fuck do _you_ want? I paid your little boycunt.”

Unlike Merlin, Michelle ran hot. Too hot, sometimes. She snarled and stomped on his already injured shoulder. She heard a pop and he screamed again as his shoulder dislocated. She wondered how much damage they'd actually done and if he’d have any use of that arm again, not that she thought Merlin was planning on letting him live.

“Yeh do know, enough pain _can_ kill a man, and I’d rather that not happen.”

“Your whore’s going to be in enough trouble as it is. Make her untie me and let me… play with her, and I won’t press charges.”

Merlin laughed; it was colder than a winter’s night. “Oh, I didn’t mean you were leaving here alive. Just that I want you to enjoy my _hospitality_ as long as possible.”

“For what? I gave him _exactly_ what he asked for.”

“Oh? And did he ask for it before or after yeh slammed his head into the wall?”

He scoffed. “It’s hardly my fault if you’re not Alpha enough to keep your whore under control. He _begged_ me to fuck him, told me to do whatever I wanted as long as I gave him a good, hard fuck.”

Michelle started to move and stopped, her hands clenching and unclenching. Merlin wanted him to last for awhile. She just wanted to hurt him again.

“I’ll admit, he doesn’t remember what happened after he led yeh upstairs. But I can’t help but think you’re lying to me. Yeh don’t want to do that right now.” He looked at Michelle. “Hit him again.”

She walked over to him and eyed his shoulders. Merlin didn’t want him dying yet. Instead of going for his injured but not yet dislocated shoulder, she kicked him in the head, the heel of her boot tearing a gouge in his cheek.

“Now,” Merlin said crouching down, “why don’t you try that again?”

“What the fuck? So I had a little fun with your Omega? Alright, yeah, he didn’t ask me to fuck him, okay?” The pain was audible in his voice.

“Better. Now why don’t you tell me what _did_ happen, hm?”

“If you let me go, I will.”

Merlin was quiet a moment, as if he was considering the request. “Alright. You tell me, and you may walk out of here.”

“He wanted to play hard to get. He led me upstairs, and I offered him some good money for a fuck. He told me he had a black ribbon and, therefore, could not. I told him he’d forgotten his place. And then your little smooth-talking whore told me to fuck off. So I taught him a lesson.”

“I see. Well, that makes it all understandable, now doesn’t it?” Merlin stood. “An Omega speaking to an Alpha like that. He ought to be punished.”

“Exactly!”

Michelle looked between the two Alphas. She didn’t know what was happening. “Hamish…”

He took a step away from the other Alpha and then stopped. He turned back to him. “The only thing is, I distinctly remember saying that no one was allowed to do anything more than inform him if he’d done something wrong. And yet you took it upon yourself to fuck what is _mine_ because he was obeying _my_ command.”

Michelle fell back a couple steps. She trusted Merlin, more than he would have given her credit for, but he was furious and it was becoming more obvious. She’d never seen him lose his temper, but she thought he might be getting close to that.

“I paid him! How is that different from your other whore?”

“Who, Michelle? She’s no more a whore than she is mine. Her Beta is a long-time friend of mine.” He paused. “Her _son_ on the other hand, he _is_ mine, and he’s no whore.”

He spat blood at Merlin. “So that’s why you’re letting an Omega do the work for you.”

“Oh, she’s not doing a thing _for_ me. She wants to hurt you; I simply see no reason to stop her.” 

He looked up at Michelle and nodded. She brought the heel of her boot down on his calf with all her weight behind it. She felt it sink into flesh and he howled from the pain of it.

“You _fuck_. You said I could walk out of here.”

“Oh, aye, I said that. And you may, when we’re done here.”

He went over to where Michelle had seen things stored earlier and brought a long, thin case over. He crouched, set it on the floor where the Alpha could see it, and opened it. Inside was a cane made of thin steel, but it was textured instead of smooth.

“Have you heard of this type before? It’s supposed to be the latest in controlling feral Omegas.” He picked it up and held it closer to quickly paling Alpha’s face. “You see, this texturing? It’s based on velcro. Thousands of tiny, little hooks. Supposedly, the Omegas they tested it on couldn’t take more than five hits before breaking down.”

He heard a whine and looked over at Michelle. Her eyes were locked on the cane, and she was breathing shallowly. Merlin didn’t think she’d even realized that she’d made a noise. She hadn’t been beaten in nearly twenty-five years, but the sight of something, especially something designed for someone like her, had brought all the fear back.

Later, Merlin would feel badly for having not sent her upstairs earlier. In this moment, however, he had neither thought about her past nor had he cared. She’d been wrong about how close he’d been to losing his temper; he’d already lost it by that point. And right now, all he felt was cold rage. 

“Why don’t you go upstairs? There’s no need for you to watch this.”

She forced her eyes away from the cane and to Merlin’s face. She took a shaky breath and then shook her head. She knew watching this would give her nightmares. She knew she’d spend the next few nights, if not the next week, crying at night and sleeping only if Lee made her. But she didn’t want to leave.

“No.” The fear was clear in her voice, but she didn’t move from where she was. “I want to see how long it takes a big, strong Alpha to break.”

Walking around him, Merlin took out a pocket knife and cut down the center of his shirt, letting it fall off of him. He touched the cane to the Alpha’s back, dragging it and letting him feel the surface. It was scratchy enough on its own, and Merlin could only imagine what it would actually do. He’d never had occasion to use it.

“Look, we can talk about this! Right? I mean, come on. You can’t.”

“Interesting how Omegas can stay silent during a beating, but I haven’t even started and you’re blubbering.”

Merlin took the cane away from his back and did nothing for a moment beyond watching the Alpha shaking. Then he struck, not holding back at all. It tore at his skin, the tiny hooks shredding it in a thousand little places. He screamed and struggled to get away from it, but there was no moving.

“Michelle. What would have happened if you’d struggled like that during your punishments?”

“It…” she swallowed. “It would have been all the worse.”

“Mm. Well, then.”

He struck twice more, rapidly and giving his victim no time to recover, to catch a breath, to stop screaming.

“Stop! Please! For the love of God, man. I’ll do anything! _Anything!_ ”

“Three hits. _Three_. What kind of Alpha are you that you can’t even outlast an Omega?”

Merlin struck again with controlled but rapid fire strokes. He paid attention to the screaming, sobbing Alpha, making sure not to push him to the point of passing out. Merlin stopped only when he was close to that point.

The Alpha’s back was a mess of bloody, torn flesh. He was hanging in his bonds, no longer having the strength - or maybe the will - to do anything else. Merlin walked around to his side, very amused by how the, as Michelle put it, big, strong Alpha shrank away as best he could. Merlin crouched and unclipped his knees from the floor.

“Now, like I said, you may walk out.”

Merlin stood and pulled the knot of the rope holding the Alpha’s arms up. He collapsed on the ground, crying out weakly. He hit his dislocated shoulder when he landed, but he barely felt it. The pain in his back was overriding everything else.

“Come along, Michelle.”

“Untie me. Please. _Please_.”

Melin put a hand on Michelle’s back and guided her to the lift. She was pale and breathing hard. He was finally calm enough to notice, to give a damn about it.

“I never agreed to that.”

He guided her into the lift and they returned to the ground floor. He took her to one of the office rooms, so that she could calm down, or freak out, or whatever she needed. He’d take her back home after; he’d walk her right through her door.

05

Eggsy was draped over Harry when Merlin got back. His arms were around Harry’s neck and his head on the Alpha’s chest. The lights were low and they’d had a meal recently; the dishes were still on the coffee table.

Merlin had barely been in the apartment a minute when Harry felt Eggsy stiffen against him and grip onto his shoulder. He looked down at Eggsy, and very little had changed in his expression. He looked more alert, and his eyes were on Merlin. 

“Long hair appointment,” Harry remarked. He could smell blood.

“I’m. Going to shower and change. Suffice it to say our _friend_ from last night won’t be bothering Eggsy again.” Merlin started toward the bedroom. “Or anyone for that matter.”

“Are you alright?”

Eggsy relaxed against him once Merlin was out of sight. He nodded and burrowed his face against Harry’s chest. “Just…” his voice was muffled but Harry could understand him, “blood and that fuck’s smell and… and…”

“And nothing that will be aimed at you.”

Eggsy had calmed back down by the time Merlin reemerged. Merlin had realized when he’d come in that he’d frightened the Omega, and he wasn’t really surprised, not given what he’d been up to. But now he went over to Eggsy and crouched in front of him.

“I have not always been the best of Alphas, and probably not the best of men. I don’t know if I’ve done wrong by you, or if I’ve treated you as anything less than a person. If I have, please know that I’m deeply sorry. If you still want me to be one of your Alphas, I’ll try to do better by you. And I will try to unlearn what I’ve been taught all my life about Omegas.” He laughed softly, derisively. “I’m sure I’ll fuck it up from time to time. But I will _try_.”

Eggsy stared at him for a moment, looked at Harry, and then back at Merlin. “Why wouldn’t I? I don’t, I don’t understand.”

“Because I.” He sighed and sat on the couch beside Eggsy. “There was this, this belief at one point.”

“More than at one point,” Harry muttered.

“That Omegas were essentially evolutionary throwbacks. I believed in it, wholeheartedly. They needed to be beaten to learn anything, they weren’t exactly people so normal laws didn’t apply. You could do whatever you wanted to them because they were a lesser thing.” He tipped his head back. “Michelle’s been trying to get me to see otherwise for a long time. And, to a point, I had.”

Harry leaned forward enough to look around Eggsy and at his mate. “I feel like there’s a ‘but’ there.”

“Aye, there is. I never really understood why she took such an issue with it until I heard things that… were very similar to things I’ve said and thought come from the mouth of that bastard. And I never realized that an Omega could be stronger than an Alpha. Maybe not physically, but in the ways that matter.” He sighed. “It has been. A day.”

Eggsy looked at Merlin and then at Harry. “I don’t get it. Why’d you want me to tell him all of that when he already knew it?”

“All of what?”

“Apparently, the pack school Eggsy attended taught that evolutionary throwback nonsense as science fact,” Harry said matter-of-factly. “Although there’s been a part that I hadn’t heard before. Alphas and Betas are actually incapable of loving an Omega as anything more than a pet, owing, of course, to their being throwbacks.”

“And you wanted Eggsy to tell me all of that, oh, so blithely, just to see my reaction.”

Harry shrugged. “Merlin, I love you, but I ran out of ways to try and get you to see reason about this years ago. Had I known you just needed to kill a like-minded Alpha, I would have found you plenty.”

“But,” Eggsy began quietly. “It’s true though. I mean, I don’t remember the names cos it was over ten years ago, but they listed studies and shit. Like studies done in university. And they all came to the same conclusion. And there were tests done and everything. It ain’t nonsense.”

“How about this, Eggsy? I’ll look into it and see if I can’t find the textbooks that give all this proof. And then I will track down every source it mentions; you, Harry, and I will read them together.”

Eggsy nodded. “That sounds fair.”

He assumed that, once Harry saw the truth all nice and proved, that their relationship would change a bit. He wouldn’t mouth off and dig his heels in the way he had with Dean and Charlie, so he could manage to not be beaten. Although, given how Harry was, Eggsy didn’t think Harry actually would beat him. But he knew things would change.

Knew it, and was alright with it.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry gives Eggsy some lessons.  
> Some plot and drama happens.  
> Followed by lots of cute fluff, a little smut, and then the debunking.  
> And everything that goes with that.

01

Three days.

That was all that was left. And then, it would have been a full month and Eggsy would be able to go home to Tilde, to sleep in her arms, in her bed. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy living with his parents and his sister, and occasionally with Harry and Merlin. But he missed Tilde; he hadn’t seen or spoken to her for ten days.

He’d been staying with Harry and Merlin ever since the ‘hair appointment’. His father had stopped by and asked him to. He hadn’t asked why, and neither Lee nor Merlin had said why. It wasn’t too hard to figure out; not with how Merlin had returned. Whatever had happened had upset his mum, and pretty badly if she didn’t want him around just now.

He’d found out that Daisy was staying with her sitter’s place. When he’d told his father he could take her, he learned that Daisy was very picky about where she’d sleep. So he started spending when he could over at the sitter’s place to spend time with her.

But today. Today was promising to be… Interesting? He wasn’t sure if that was the right word, exactly. Harry had finally given him what he’d initially thought was the suit Tilde had ordered for him. He’d told Eggsy that it had taken so long because they’d made two: the one she’d ordered and a Kingsman suit, since he was training on the sly still. Both of them had sachet pockets, and Harry had already had some made for him.

Harry had told him to put it on and make himself look like an agent, which is what had led to now and Eggsy sitting in front of a mirror and just… _staring_. He’d seen enough of the agents around, but how to make himself actually _look_ like one of them. He wouldn’t have cared so much if Omegas weren’t allowed in Kingsman. At least, not yet. Maybe.

He started going through all of Harry’s hair crap. He’d watched Harry tame his curls a few times (it didn’t actually take ninety minutes, he’d discovered, but it did take a good while) and he’d learned what everything was and what it was used for.

He found what he was looking for and started working on his own hair. It only took him a couple minutes, but he felt almost compelled to fuss with it more. He had to force himself to not; if he tried to make it perfect, he’d probably just fuck it up. It was fine.

He got into the suit and shoes; the sachet had been in it, at least overnight from what he could tell. He liked the smell of it, although he couldn’t place it exactly. The Oxfords had lifts in them, and that would, at least, help make him just look like a short Beta. He hoped, anyway.

He looked at himself in the mirror again. He looked so different. He turned, looking at himself from all angles. He tried hard not to grin. He was supposed to be a Beta. This sort of thing was supposed to be normal for him. He composed himself and went out to Harry.

Harry looked impressed, at first. And then, very clearly, was trying to hide his own amusement. It annoyed Eggsy. He thought he looked good; Hell, he thought he looked fucking _hot_. But then Harry led him to a mirror and handed him a pair of glasses. He put them on and then looked in the mirror at the both of them.

“ _Fuck_ me.” Eggsy half-whispered, seeing immediately what had amused Harry.

“Mm. It’s a bit like looking in a younger mirror.”

“I’m not the one who set the suit up to look like yours.”

“No, but you _are_ the one who did your hair.”

Eggsy smirked and tipped him half a wink. “What can I say? I wanted to look hot. And I do.”

“Incorrigible. Absolutely incorrigible.” Harry said with a smirk. “Well, come along anyway.”

Eggsy followed behind him, at least until Harry stopped walking.

“Remember: you’re a Beta, not an Omega. You walk at my side, not behind.”

Eggsy nodded and stepped up beside him. It took an effort to not grin, because if he pulled this off, he could actually be treated like an equal sometimes. It wasn’t hard to stay at Harry’s side once he started. It was fucking _weird_ , but it was easy. Maybe because Harry tended to treat him more like an equal normally.

He and Harry took a rather scenic route to Kingsman’s private underground. No one had looked twice at him. They’d nodded respectfully to Harry, but that was it. He knew it could easily also be that Arthur was allowing it, so none of their business. But it still made him feel good.

“We’re going to call this a dry run.” Harry began as they arrived in the tailor shop. “There are a few people coming in today to pick up their suits. Direct them to the actual associate, and if anyone asks after me, I have left for the afternoon. A few of these clients are rather anti-Omega. I expect you’ll know immediately if they see through your act.”

“Wonderful,” Eggsy said dryly.

“I will be _one_ room away and watching.” He tapped his own glasses. “I assume you can hold them off for that long.”

“Yeah, I can do that.” He took a deep breath. “Alright, let’s get started.”

Harry motioned toward the door and Eggsy went into the tailor shop alone. The associate nodded to him, and then looked back at him, puzzled. He wasn’t accustomed to strangers coming from that side of the shop.

“I don’t think we’ve met.”

“Sean,” Eggsy said, holding out his hand.

“Andrew,” he said, shaking the proffered hand. “You must be new around here.”

Eggsy smiled and shrugged. “I’ve been training, mostly. Harry’s one Hell of a taskmaster.”

“Utterly incorrigible,” Harry sighed over the glasses feed.

‘ _not the only 1_ ’, Eggsy sent back.

“Harry _always_ has been, even before he was in charge.”

Eggsy smirked. He sort of liked this guy already. He waited around for awhile, making small talk with Andrew. Eggsy didn’t think he’d been recognized as an Omega. It was _nice_. But eventually, people _did_ start coming in. Not many, but enough that he’d had to interact with them. Only one of them seemed to suspect, but he handled himself by just thinking of him as another Dean. It was enough to allay the suspicion.

He was actually feeling quite confident in his act when the door opened again and a woman walked in. He recognized her immediately: Beth, the Alpha who’d hosted the party. She looked him up and down, frowning a little and looking a bit puzzled.

“Are you a relative of Harry’s?”

Eggsy grinned. “Something like that, yes. Is there something I might do for you?”

“Well, I was actually looking for him. I was in the neighborhood and I thought he might like to go to lunch.”

“Ah, you just missed him. He said something about his Omega being incorrigible and left.”

She laughed. “Then he’s feeling better I take it?”

“Harry?”

She shook her head. “No, the Omega.”

“Well, to tell the truth,” he paused, half-waiting for Harry to tell him ‘no’ and half-waiting for effect. He leaned closer to her. “I’m fine now.”

“Yu-” She looked at him more closely before lighting up. “Oh, God, I didn’t even recognize you. Hamish is lucky; I didn’t know how well you clean up.”

Eggsy grinned.

“Well, you tell Harry for me that since he wasn’t here, I made a date for lunch with his lovely new Beta.” She winked at him and walked out.

“She isn’t joking,” Harry said over the feed.

“What do you mean?” Eggsy asked quietly.

“Don’t be surprised when she shows up and expects you to go with her. But Beth is a good sort; she’ll treat you like a Beta.”

“Sounds fun.”

Eggsy spent the rest of the day there; no one who came in seemed to realize he was anything but a Beta. It was nearly closing time when three very large Alphas came in.

“Be careful of them.” Harry said quietly and seriously over the transmission.

Eggsy didn’t know what the problem was, but he could hear the tension in Harry’s voice. He approached them the same way he had the others who’d come in.

“Gentlemen, if you’re here for a fitting, I must ask you to return tomorrow.”

The leader of the three looked down at Eggsy and snarled. Eggsy just gave him the same insolent look he’d perfected during his years of living with Dean.

“We ain’t here for a suit.”

“Well, I don’t quite know what you’re doing in a tailor shop then.” Eggsy snarked at them.

“We’re lookin’ for a runaway. Responds to Eggy, Eggsy, or maybe Gary.”

“I’m afraid we’re not in the habit of hiding runaways.” Eggsy said with a long-suffering sigh. “Now, if you’re not here for business, I-”

“We know he was here. Bought by Harry Hart.”

Eggsy looked thoughtful. “Eggy. Eggy. Mmmm. Oh, you mean tiny little thing? Feral? Scrawny?”

The Alpha nodded.

“Well, I’m sure Mr. Hart was unaware that it was a runaway. He sold it some weeks ago. I could have him check his records and get back to you.”

The Alpha growled. “We tracked them records. Led us to a clan called Statesmen. Said he ran away. But he up and vanished after that. Ain’t no one seen him.”

Eggsy shrugged. “Well, it hasn’t returned here, and I’m not quite certain why you think it would have.”

“Hart got himself a new Omega. We want proof it ain’t Eggy.”

Eggys laughed derisively. “You mean Sean? Sean is a meek little thing. I believe Mr. Hart’s mate has gone on a business trip and brought it with him. I can, however, have Mr. Hart contact you. Sean attended a party with Mr. Hart, oh, a week ago, maybe? The hostess was quite impressed with him, and I’m sure she would be more than happy to speak with you about Sean.”

“You’ve got help coming,” Harry said over the feed.

The Alpha drew himself up, glowering down at Eggsy. “That’s too convenient for us. Now you get them here, or we start breakin’ shit.”

Eggsy didn’t flinch. He’d realized it was really _easy_ once he just decided they were Just Another Dean. “Look, I don’t know how well I can dumb this down for you, but Mr. Hart is not here.”

The Alpha growled low in his throat. Eggsy knew if he had to take on all three of them, he was fucked. He was probably fucked if it was just the Alpha. He didn’t know what the fuck Harry was doing that one-fucking-room away.

The bell rang as someone came in. The Alpha turned away enough for Eggsy to see what Harry had meant by help. Beth had come back. 

“Oh, I hope I’m not interrupting. I thought you’d be finished for the night. I figured we could turn our lunch date into dinner.”

Eggsy grinned. “I’d love to, but first I need to convince these… gentlemen… that Mr. Hart’s Omega isn’t a runaway they’re chasing.”

She looked surprised. She hadn’t known that ‘Sean’ was a runaway. She laughed. “Well, I’ve met him. He certainly didn’t strike me as the type to runaway.”

“No?” The Alpha turned toward her fully. “Not a short, scrawny thing?”

“Oh, heavens no. Well, he’s short, but what else do you expect? But I’d hardly call him scrawny. Harry keeps his little pet well fed.”

“What’s he like, this Sean?”

“Mmm, _extremely_ fuckable. It was a shame I couldn’t enjoy him more.” She sighed and licked her lips. “But I suppose you don’t mean that. He’s… mmm… Soft, meek. Very well trained.”

“Ain’t a feral?”

Her eyes widened. “A _feral_? Oh, my dear, you have the wrong Omega.”

The Alpha pulled a black and white print off out of his jacket. It was a picture of Eggsy. His hair was more close-cropped than it had gotten since he’d left. There was a clear - even in black and white - bruise on his jaw. And Beth could _see_ in his face why they were saying he was feral. He looked insolent, and there was so much hate in his eyes.

“I have. Never see that person before.” She looked from the picture to the Alpha. “Never.” She wasn’t entirely lying. She could see how it might be Sean, but the difference was night and day. “Now, _if_ you don’t mind, I’d like to go on my date.”

He looked between Eggsy and Beth and grumbled to himself as he put the picture back in his jacket. “A’right, boys. Guess our 15 grand just went up in fucking smoke.” He nodded toward the door and the three of them left.

Once they were gone, Eggsy locked the door. Fifteen grand for him, and two people - assuming Andrew had been in earshot - knowing about it. He went back to Beth and offered her an appreciative smile. Only then he realized that, yes, the associate _had_ still been in the room. He’d just been at the counter and Eggsy had been too focused on the Alphas to realize it.

“Thanks. Couldn’t convince them they were wrong.”

“ _Were_ they wrong?”

He looked at Andrew and shrugged. “Guess you’ll have to ask Harry.”

Andrew shook his head. “So you’re really not a Beta?”

Eggsy grinned and shook his head. “Nope. I’m, apparently, a soft, meek, extremely fuckable Omega. One with a date.”

“Wait, does Harry know you’re leaving?”

Eggsy tapped the glasses and winked. “I’m sure he’ll figure it out. I mean, I’m an incorrigible, feral runaway.”

Beth looked out the window. “Well, our friends seem to be gone and I’m sure you’re capable of closing up.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Eggsy opened the door for her, locking it again as they went out. Dinner out with a lovely Alpha while playing at being a Beta? Sounded fine to him.

02

It wasn’t very late when Eggsy got back, but he was grinning as he entered the apartment. Harry was surprised, and pleased, to see that his shirt was still buttoned all the way up and his tie was still done up. He went over to the couch and just sank into it. Merlin watched him from the easy chair and Harry sat with Eggsy.

“Enjoy yourself?”

Eggsy pulled the tie loose and took it off. “Absolutely. Thank you for calling her.”

Harry chuckled. “Well, it was either that or I was going to have to fight all of them. That would have just led to more of them coming.”

“So, how was your first date?”

“It was... “ He shook his head. “She took us to this real nice place. Like with all the fancy fucking silverware and dishes that was at the party. She ordered for us cos I couldn’t pronounce half the shit on the menu. And when they took my drink order - she kinda helped me with that before they came over - he asked what ‘sir’ would be having.” He sighed happily. “Never been treated that good before. I mean, ‘cept by the three of you.”

Merlin exchanged a look with Harry. They’d talked about Eggsy’s outing. They were waiting on the textbook Merlin had tracked down. He’d already tracked down a number of studies of Omegas; he hoped he just needed to know which ones to print off. But going out as a Beta and being treated well would be good for him. And hopefully it would make it easier for him when they proved to him that he’d been taught propaganda and not truth.

“Well, maybe we should make this a regular occurance. Harry enjoys going out, I enjoy it, and I’m sure Tilde would enjoy it.”

Eggsy looked over at Merlin. He looked a little uncertain, but also hopeful. “You mean, like going on dates _and_ me pretending I’m a Beta…?”

Merlin nodded. “That exactly.”

Eggsy shrugged and looked away. “I mean. Yeah, it would be great. I’d really like it.”

“But,” Harry prompted.

Eggsy looked at him. Harry was giving him _that look_. That stern and serious look that Harry was far too good at. He was breaking the rule; he was supposed to be totally honest with Harry. He sighed and nodded.

“But aren’t you worried that I’ll… well… start to, you know…”

“Start to think of yourself that way?” Harry asked with feigned innocence.

Eggsy nodded. He liked it, he really did. But it was a lie, a dumb fantasy. Sure, maybe most of his fantasies _had_ been realized. He’d gotten away from the clan he’d been born into. He’d found his lost family. He’d found, not one, but _three_ Alphas who cared about him and treated him well.

“I don’t think that crossed either of our minds,” Harry said.

“We know you know your place,” Merlin said reassuringly. 

“Then…” Eggsy grinned. “Yeah, let’s do that.”

03

Harry had finally given Eggsy the suit Tilde had bought, and he was wearing it for their date. He had on a white shirt, the top layer of which was floral lace, and it had black buttons and a black, buttoned collar in lieu of a tie. His slacks were black and he wore a white belt. But instead of a suit jacket, Tilde had ordered a black, single button blazer with gold floral designs on the lapels. 

Eggsy turned in a circle, letting Harry and Merlin look him over. He felt so fucking _perfect_ , and judging from the looks on their faces, they were pleased. He grinned up at them.

“So she’s gonna be here when?”

Harry chuckled. “She texted before you came out. Maybe five minutes.”

Eggsy nodded and felt his hair. It was dumb, so fucking dumb, but he wanted to look absolutely perfect when she saw him like this for the first time. He wanted her to need a moment before it clicked that this wasn’t a Beta, but just her Eggsy.

Harry and Merlin stayed off to the side; Harry standing straight, one hand in his pocket, and Merlin with his arms crossed, leaning against the wall. They watched as Eggsy checked himself over for the hundredth time, and as he started at Tilde’s knock. He took a second, trying to tone his grin down to a smile, and opened the door.

“Eg-,” she cut herself off, mouth open and just taking him in.

She stepped inside, doing a slow circle around him. He seemed just as taken with how she’d dressed up; he’d only seen her in a dress a couple times, although there’d been plenty in her closet.

She had on a sleeveless, white, high-low dress with a ruffled hem and a deep v-neck. There were flowers on the skirt of the dress, with blue and purple watercolor splashes. Her hair lay on her shoulders in soft waves, and she wore a pair of slingback wedge sandals.

“ _Fuck me_ ,” he whispered finally.

She smirked at him. “Dear one, when a lady takes you out, it’s dinner first and _then_ put out. Not the other way around.”

It took Eggsy a second to recover; he was still staring at her. “If the lady in question looks the way you do right now, I’ll put out before _and_ after.”

“Not when we have reservations, you won’t,” Harry half-teased.

Merlin looked over at Harry. “That’s not what you said last time.”

Harry arched his brow at Merlin. “That was different; it wasn’t _my_ first date.”

“Mm-hmm.” Merlin pushed away from the wall. “Eggsy, I’m putting my rule on doors off for the night.”

He was more than a little surprised. “Why?”

“This is your first time going out with us all while passing yourself off as a Beta,” Merlin said patiently. “Harry and I really shouldn’t be… well, doing anything that could risk you giving yourself away as an Omega.”

“Not my problem if they think I’m a Beta.” He unbuttoned the collar and pulled the medallion chain up enough for Merlin to see it. He winked. “Ain’t like I’m going to say either way.”

Merlin shot Harry a mildly irritated look and Harry smirked. Harry had told him that Eggsy would do that. Merlin had been so certain Eggsy’s impudence would lead him to leaving the medallion that he’d made a bet with Harry over it.

“You should have listened to me,” Harry said smugly as he walked over to Eggsy and Tilde. “You wouldn’t be paying for dinner if you had.”

Merlin shook his head and went over to the door. “So I see. Well, you’re going to tell me if yeh need it suspended.”

Eggsy nodded with a grin. “Yeah, I know. Total honestly.”

Merlin ran the back of his hand along Eggsy’s jaw and his grin softened. He paused, just watching Eggsy for a moment before opening the door. He knew that a lot of the confidence Eggsy was showing was an act, but someday it wouldn’t be. And it looked so good on him. Part of him really wanted to take him from Tilde right now and tell her that Eggsy was his. But that was part of sharing him. Once they were past him, he took Harry’s arm, perfectly contented to hold his mate now that the impulse to be selfishly possessive had cooled.

Harry had his driver waiting to take them, and he opened the door for them. Harry and Tilde climbed in and then Merlin sent him off. He stayed by the door, just watching Eggsy, silently teasing him.

“You know, we _do_ have reservations. Harry seems real anxious to get there on time.”

Merlin looked in the car. “Do yeh see what you’ve done?”

Eggsy heard Harry chuckle and Merlin nodded to Eggsy that he could get in. Tilde had seated herself with Harry and Eggsy was sort of glad of it. Not just because it meant he got to look at her dressed up the way she was. But because she and Harry were at ease with each other.

When they arrived, Eggsy quickly realized the only problem with going out with the clan-father and his mate, was that it _was_ the clan-father. Harry’s driver opened the door for them, and Merlin nodded his permission to Eggsy. But once they were out of the car, a good number of people greeted Harry, a few of them even saying something to Merlin. Eggsy and Tilde attempted to stay back, but Harry would have none of that and kept them close at hand. They did, however, keep from saying anything until they were seated, all nice and private.

“It always like that for you?”

“Of course it is,” Tilde answered for Harry. “At least, within his own territory. It’s the same for Mama, Papa, and myself.”

“And it will be like that for you, if you continue your close association with us,” Harry said.

“So, either get used to it or find someone else like you.” Eggsy nodded once. “Right. I’m sure the odds of _that_ are high. I’ll just. Get used to it.”

Harry reached over and lightly stroked Eggsy’s hand. “Good. I really would dislike the alternative; although I would adjust.”

“And don’t let him fool yeh. Harry enjoys every minute of the attention.”

“I do not enjoy _every_ minute of it.” Harry gave Merlin a mock-sour look. “My name ends up in the paper _far_ too often for my liking. It is the downside of having challenged Chester.”

“What’s wrong with that? I mean, ai-” Eggsy stopped himself. He was supposed to be an educated Beta tonight. “Is it always bad or something?”

“Hmph. It isn’t very gentleman-like to appear in the paper so much,” Harry said a bit indignantly.

“He loves it,” Merlin whispered with a wink.

Harry smirked. “So, dinner’s on you, isn’t it? I believe I’ll be having whatever’s the most expensive thing is, then.”

Merlin raised his brow at Harry. “I believe what you’ll be getting, then, is _De_ _Dormir Sur le Canapé_.”

Harry chuckled at Merlin’s playful threat. “There’s no need to get nasty about it, darling.”

Eggsy watched their banter, fascinated by it. Sure, he saw it at home, but this was different. This was in public, where Harry was apparently watched. That wasn’t something he’d really considered.

But when Merlin said whatever the Hell he said that was ‘nasty’, he leaned over to Tilde. He didn’t get the joke and he really didn’t want Merlin or Harry to have to explain it to him. “The fuck’d he say?” 

She took his hand and kissed it. “That Harry’d be sleeping on the couch.”

Eggsy chuckled. “Yeah, that’ll happen.”

“You know, if you wanted, I could help you learn a second language,” she offered. “Then you wouldn’t be left out.”

He gave her a quick kiss. “I’d like that.”

They sat back up as someone came over to the table. It took Eggsy a few seconds to connect the white jacket to a chef. It wasn’t as if he’d had many opportunities to see one. Fuck, staying mostly on the manor grounds had kept him from realizing what a big deal Harry was. It had been easy enough to think of him as Arthur, head of a spy agency, and forget that he headed the clan.

“Messrs. Hart, a delight to have you both here again.” He looked at Tilde and Eggsy. “And your lovely guests. Madam.” He went over to her to greet her.

“Tilde Alström, Clan-Sverige.”

“Messrs. Hart _and_ an Alström.” He looked at Eggsy. “I almost dare not ask who you are.”

He offered a hand to Eggsy and Eggsy shook it. He sort of wanted to laugh. The chef was so clearly pleased at having three Important Alphas at once that Eggsy wondered what he’d think if he knew Eggsy was just an Omega.

“Gary,” he said. He knew he couldn’t use ‘Sean’ anymore, not if he was playing at being a Beta. But Gary, the name that should have been his, it was common enough, right? “I’m no one important; just someone privileged enough to have been invited to dinner by his clan-father.”

“You _do_ keep excellent company, my young sir.”

Eggsy grinned. “Well, I can _hardly_ blame them for keeping me around.” He tipped him a wink. “Gorgeous, intelligent, half their age. The perfect eye or arm candy for all involved, don’t you think?”

“Oh, quite.” He looked around the table. “Why don’t I take your orders personally?”

Harry smiled. “You _do_ go through such trouble over us. You really needn’t.”

“But I insist.”

Harry nodded once. Eggsy could tell this was a long-standing thing with them. He was fairly certain Merlin was more correct than not, and Harry _did_ enjoy it. Harry started off, and then Merlin. Tilde, and Eggsy loved her for it, ordered for the both of them, saving Eggsy the trouble of tripping over words. 

Their meals came in short order. They ate, they drank, they laughed. Eggsy enjoyed himself more than he had with Beth. He knew it was the company and his feelings for them. He loved Tilde, something he always believed he’d never have. He wasn’t entirely certain, however, what his feelings for Merlin and Harry were. They were strong and definitely good; he just wasn’t sure how much was their bond and how much was him. And, well, he wasn’t sure if the inability to love went both ways.

04

Eggsy had been expecting the date to end after dinner. He hadn’t expected Harry to announce that they were going somewhere to ‘honor’ Merlin’s ancestors. They all knew he was up to something, but what it was, they didn’t know. At least, not until the car stopped and Merlin groaned.

“This is _not_ honoring my ancestors, you…” Merlin shook his head, either not wanting to call Harry whatever had come to mind in front of them, or simply finding nothing that sufficed.

Harry gave Merlin his most innocent look. “How is it not?”

“Don’t play innocent wi’ me,” he said with a growl that was as real as Harry’s innocence.

Harry batted his eyes innocently. “But miniature golf _is_ a version of golf. Besides which, I can’t think of a single, open range.”

Merlin kissed him and nipped at his lip. “I’m going to pay yeh back for this, Harry Hart.”

“I await your revenge with bated breath.”

Harry paid and they all got their putters and balls. Harry convinced them all to not take score sheets. After all, it was Eggsy’s first time. It only made sense. And Eggsy, assuming he’d be the worst at it, quickly agreed to this.

They started playing, and it wasn’t long before Eggsy and Tilde were a hole ahead of Harry and Merlin. Even if they finished before the older men, they waited so they didn’t get too far ahead. Tilde kept helping Eggsy line up his shots. She’d hold him from behind and help him. They were laughing and enjoying themselves fully.

Merlin, on the other hand, could not believe what was happening. He watched Harry with something akin to amazement as… he consistently missed the hole. Harry was the entire reason they were behind Eggsy and Tilde.

“How,” he asked after the fifth hole, “can yeh be so fucking terrible at his? Yeh take out targets with a single shot. I’ve watched yer hand-to-hand. How can you miss _every fucking_ time?”

Harry primly took his shot and managed to get the ball in the hole. “Simply because one enjoys a game, it does not follow that one is any good at it.”

Merlin shook his head. “Wasn’t Gary’s score yeh were worried about, was it?”

Harry smirked. “And how would it look if _l_ lost?”

“I don’t think any of us would give a damn, Harry.” He looked over at Eggsy and Tilde. “She’s shown him how to aim repeatedly. I’m not sure which of you is worse at this.”

“Oh, he’s able to do it just fine,” Harry said casually, keeping his voice low enough that it didn’t carry to them. “I’ve seen him line it up quite well a couple of times now. He’s just… playing dumb.”

Merlin sighed and shook his head. “I really wish he’d just admit when he’s good at something.”

Harry chuckled. “If I thought you’d keep against me all night the way she is and I was any good at this game, I’d fake it, too.” He kissed Merlin gently. “Maybe that’s all I need; a close, personal trainer.”

Merlin scoffed playfully and rolled his eyes. “You’re worried how your score will make you look, but having me correcting you all night would be fine, hm?”

Harry smirked. “I simply have my priorities in order.” 

“Uh-huh,” Merlin said, heading toward the next hole.

They played the rest of the game, and Merlin took Harry’s comments as more of a request. He didn’t do it nearly as often as Tilde, but every so often he’d wrap his arms around Harry and attempt to improve his aim. It did not work in the least, but it did make Harry’s slow progress a bit more enjoyable for Merlin.

They didn’t return to the manor house right away after the game. They instead went to a park and wandered around under the stars for some time. They talked as they wandered, about everything and nothing. The night had been absolutely perfect, and Eggsy felt a sense of contentment like he never had before.

05

Tilde stayed the night and Eggsy let the facade he’d kept up all night drop away. She was sad to see it go, but she understood. To him, it was playacting and nothing more; a pleasant fantasy that the three of them allowed him to have. She knew, eventually, he’d start to accept it as something more, but she also knew that could take a long time. She was both excited and impatient for that time, even if she would show him nothing but patience and encouragement.

He took her dress off of her, and pulled her medallion out of the sachet pocket. He stared at it, shaking his head. “It really… It fucks with me that you even have one of these.”

“Mama insists,” she said with a shrug. “Just in case.”

He hung her dress up, looping the chain over the hangar. It really bothered him to think of her as an Omega. But then her arms were around him and he leaned back into her embrace. She unbuttoned his blazer and then his shirt, never moving from behind him and finding them by feel. She slipped them off of his shoulders and down his arms. She hung them up and then turned back to him, eying him for a moment. She picked up the chain of his medallion and took it off of him.

His eyes widened in alarm. “Tilde…”

“Just for tonight,” she said quietly, and shushed him with a kiss. “We’ve been equals all night; let’s finish the night that way.”

He said nothing for a moment, just watching her loop his medallion on the hangar. Hesitantly, he reached up and opened the clasp of the necklace they’d given him as a mark of their mutual ownership of him. He put it with his medallion, both liking the feeling of the chains off of his neck and fearing the feeling of it.

But then her lips and hands were on him; she all but tore his belt off, undid his trousers, and barely gave them time to hit the floor before she was pushing him toward the bed. He unsnapped her bra, and she took her hands away from him just long enough to slip it off. One hand slipped into his briefs and all but clutched him, and less than gently. He cried out into her mouth, and she pushed him the rest of the way back. He hit the bed and fell back onto it, propping himself up with his elbows.

“Fucking Hell, babe. Maybe I should just not wear those in bed ever.”

“That might be a good idea.” She grinned at him, her tongue running across her upper teeth. She got on the bed, straddling him and grinding against the hardness she found waiting. “Tell me something you want. Or something you want to try.” She leaned down, covering his mouth with hers before he could even answer. “I’d love you to get on top of me and fuck me, but I know how you feel about that.” She bit down on his neck, hard, and then sucked on it with the same intensity. “One day, you’re going to fuck me in the asshole, and I’m going to _love_ it.”

He was not sure what to do with all of this, especially considering she’d been far less verbal the last time. And her demand left him shivering pleasantly. Fucking her with his hand had been one thing; actually fucking her in the arse was another, entirely. Simply because he was usually the fucked in that situation.

He took a breath and then nodded. “Alright. Let’s do that.”

She sat up from him, having not expected _that_ as an answer. “I said one day, dear one,” she said reassuringly.

He grinned a bit. “Yeah, I know. But… we’re equals tonight, right?”

She did not need telling again; she was off of him like a shot and digging in her overnight bag. He had no idea what else she had in there, but she must have come fully prepared. He sat up, laughing, when she held up a bottle of lubricant triumphantly.

“I wasn’t,” she stammered at his laughter and then tossed the bottle more to him than at him. “I just wanted to be ready for anything!”

She came over to him and all but bounced on the bed, getting on her hands and knees, and raising her arse enough for him to get at her easier. She looked over her shoulder at him, grinning. Part of it was actual excitement; there had only been so many things she could do herself. And it wasn’t as if finding a lover who wouldn’t, or couldn’t, out her as an Omega had not been a thing. She’d never been willing to trust anyone with her secret.

But part of it was knowing Eggsy. Knowing how badly he’d been treated in the past and how many negative associations with sex he had to have. So some of her showing of excitement and her being a bit silly were for him. She wanted him to have fun with this; she _needed_ him to.

Eggsy stared at her for a moment before laughing again. He had _never_ expected to see anyone so excited for this. But then, how often had being fucked been his choice or come with the option of a lubricant? He liked seeing her excitement; it was really kinda hot.

He poured the lubricant on his fingers and worked it inside of her, first with one finger, and then a second. He scissored his fingers as he moved inside of her, and she was already pushing back against his hand and making soft but needy noises. She’d tipped her head back, all the show she’d put on for him gone, and nothing remaining except pure enjoyment of what he was doing.

Once he could fit a third finger inside of her, he got up onto his knees and entered her. She cried out and he saw her hands tighten on the sheet as she pushed back against him, hard, wanting all of him. And while it wasn’t all that different to him - a bit tighter and some added friction - but at the same time, it _was._

For one, he had _never_ been in the dominant role. Although, he _did_ wonder if you’d even call it that when they were equal for the night. But part of it, a _big_ part of it, was how she was reacting. Her gripping the sheets, her grinding against him, her crying out and panting. Fucking Hell, listening to her, alone, was gonna make him come.

But he wasn’t passive in this, and he met her every time she pushed against him. He gripped her sides, his fingers pressing into her flesh in a way that he distantly knew had to be painful. He tried to hold himself back, but there was only so much he could do (especially without her biting him the way she had been the last time). It wasn’t but a moment after he came that he felt her shudder against him, crying out and pressing against him. Something, she wasn’t sure _what_ , but something about the feeling of him shooting off inside of her arse had tipped her over the edge.

Her hands relaxed and she let herself collapse down onto the bed, riding out the feeling of what he’d so deliciously done to her. He lay over her, panting and fully expecting her to all but attack him again. When she didn’t, he got a bit concerned.

“You alright?”

“Mm.” She shifted and he pushed off of her so she could roll onto her back. “I’m wonderful.”

He saw how contented she looked and kissed her. “I just. I wasn’t sure if you were gonna…”

“Well, it’s not going to happen _every_ time. I think.” She bit her lip. “I think mostly I was touch starved. I mean, you _were_ my first.”

He stared at her, shaking his head. “But you. I mean. You were good.”

She laughed, putting her arms around his neck. “I know how to take care of myself. They make things for that. But. You’re the only one I’ve trusted with my secret.” She paused and tipped her head to the side as a half-shrug. “I mean, I trust Harry and Merlin with it. They would have… They would have done something by now.”

Eggsy kissed her. “They’ll never do anything to you. Hell, Harry. Harry wouldn’t even fuck me when I was asking him to.”

“Why not?”

“Well…” He settled beside her on the bed and they held each other. “He sorta knew that I wasn’t asking for it cos I wanted to have sex with him. I mean, I want to. I _really_ want to. But it wasn’t _why_ I was trying to get him to. So he wouldn’t. Like he wouldn’t even let me touch his dick. They’re _both_ weird like that.”

She laughed softly. “I am, too, you know.”

“Yeah, I know. I kinda like it.”

She snuggled up to him, more than happy to lay against him, their arms around each other and face-to-face. It wasn’t that she minded him lying against her and slightly below her, his head on her chest. But she liked this. She liked being able to kiss his lips, and to be able to look into his eyes as she drifted off.

06

“Something smells good.”

It was a sleepy murmur against the back of his neck. The feeling of her lips moving against his skin, the feel of her words, the feel of her against him; it was a wonderful thing to wake up to. He sighed sleepily and rolled over.

“Merlin’s probably cooking. He does a lot of stuff like that.”

“Mm? Rather Omega of him, isn’t it?” she teased softly.

Eggsy scoffed quietly. “He an’ Harry are weird about stuff like that?”

“Really?”

“Mm. It ain’t, well, they don’t challenge each other. They just sorta. Do things that way. Like Harry cleans.”

She kissed him gently. “Sounds nice.”

“Sounds weird.”

She sat up a little. “You wouldn’t like that? Not even with me?”

Eggsy shrugged. “I dunno. I kinda like, you know, normal stuff. ‘sides, they’re equals. They can do things like that.”

She frowned a little. Clearly, he was done pretending to be a Beta for now. “Eggsy, we’re _both_ Omegas.”

He reached up and cupped her cheek. “You’re so much more than I am.”

She tipped her head into his hand and covered his hand with her own. She wished she knew how to make him see otherwise, to see himself the way he saw her. She was only ‘so much more’ because she’d been born into the right place. She’d been protected from what Omegas went through. It would take time and patience, but maybe someday.

She kissed him again. “I’m going to go see if he wants any help.”

07

As soon as breakfast was over, Merlin left to go get the book and papers from his office. He’d admitted, unapologetically, that it had come the afternoon before. He’d simply wanted the date to go on without whatever the studies said on their minds. As much as he’d started to see differently, because of Michelle and Tilde mostly, part of him still wasn’t sure. It’s a hard thing when you’ve lived all your life believing one thing to change that, to unlearn that. But he _was_ trying.

Merlin returned with a stack of neatly stapled papers and a hardcover book. He set them all out on the coffee table. Eggsy instantly recognized the biology book he’d learned from, and then looked at the covers of the papers Merlin had printed off. _Neolithic Omegas: A Study of Primitive Man_ ; _Dominance, Submission, and the Need to be Owned_ ; _Theory of Evolutionary Throwbacks Examined_ ; _Prehistoric Cave Paintings and Ritual Killings: What They Tell Us About Their Society_.

Eggsy nodded and pointed at the _Theory of Evolutionary Throwbacks Examined_. “See?”

Merlin nodded. “Yeah, I see. I haven’t looked through them yet. I figured we’d do that together.”

Harry and Tilde sat at opposite ends of the couch with Eggsy between them, and Merlin sat on the opposite side of the coffee table, cross-legged and on the floor. Eggsy, more certain now than ever, picked up the book and flipped through it until he found the right page. Despite not having even seen the book since he’d been a child, he found the spot fairly quickly.

Merlin and Harry exchanged a look at how easily Eggsy found it; they had some suspicions of their own, mainly dealing with Eggsy’s intelligence, that they hoped one of those papers would explain, or at least give a theory to. Because there was no doubt in their minds that he _was_ intelligent. He picked things up as rapidly as his mother did.

“Alright. It says here that in the _Theory of Evolutionary Throwbacks Examined_ , they found a number of mass graves containing Omega skeletons who’d all had the left side of their skulls smashed in and ‘upon analyzing the bone structure of these smaller and lighter people, assumed to be Omegas, it was discovered that they had a differing bone structure from other skeletons found in the same area. While the bones dated to the same time as other, more contemporary formed skeletons, these were clearly a more primitive creature’.”

Merlin picked up the study and flipped through it, scanning the lines for what Eggsy had just read off. He found the paragraph, read it over, and handed it to Eggsy. “Fifth paragraph.”

Eggsy took it, giving Harry something of a smug look, and read what Merlin had found. And then read it again. And then flipped back to the start of that section and read the entire section.

“What does it say?” Harry asked, oh so innocently.

“That after another grave, this one of assumed Alphas with the same variants were found, but with the right side of their skulls smashed in, that they realized they’d found proof, not that Omegas were throwbacks, but that there had been two evolutions and one was killed off.” Eggsy shook his head. “That ain’t how they taught it.”

“You don’t say,” Harry said, just as innocently.

“What’s the next piece?” Merlin prompted.

Eggsy looked down at the book. Part of him really didn’t want to keep going. This is what he’d been _taught_. What he _believed_. He hated it, yeah, but it was how things were and why they were. But part of him _wanted_ to keep going. Part of him wanted the fantasy that he could be Harry’s and Merlin’s and Tilde’s equal to be _real,_ and not just something he could play at when they let him.

“Okay. There’s a quote from _Prehistoric Cave Paintings and Ritual Killings: What They Tell Us About Their Society_. They’d found bodies really well preserved in a swamp and they were able to figure a bit from it’s dna and it’s hair. And ‘upon an analysis of the dna, it was discovered that there was an inherent inferiority in their genetics and that is why they were killed in this ritual manner’.”

Merlin flipped through that paper and found it. “Huh, fuck me. It’s right there, exactly what he just said.” He read it over, nodding. “Well, Eggsy, guess you better read this one, too. Just so we can confirm it. Fourth paragraph.”

Eggsy took the paper and read what Merlin had found, and then frowned at the paper. “It says…” he trailed off, tilting his head a little as if the words made no sense to him. “It says based on their hair, they lived on a better diet than would be expected at that time, which shows that these people were well cared for and likely willing sacrifices.”

“Oh, goodness, aren’t those who were ritual sacrifices usually important people? Ones who were consider something akin to sacred?” Harry asked in his innocent tone.

Eggsy shot him a grumpy look. He knew better than to buy into Harry’s tone. He knew it was Harry telling them without words that he’d told them so. “Yeah.”

Eggsy was quiet for a long time as he read the paper over. No one said anything or tried to interrupt him. Every so often he’d stop and look up. They weren’t quite certain if he was angry, or confused, or upset, although they thought it might be a combination of all three. When he finished the last page, he tossed it on the table and sat back, tipping his head up and looking at the ceiling. They could see his jaw working, and they knew he was trying to keep himself composed.

When he spoke, his voice was quiet and his tone was weirdly flat. “Omegas developed strong pheromones so they could be recognized. That part was true. But what they’d found from cave paintings was that Alphas had a very weak scent so their prey wouldn’t notice them. There were implications that it was how they found Omegas to mate with.”

Harry took one of Eggsy’s hands and held it. He could tell how much this was upsetting him “Do you want to keep going? We can stop right now.”

“No. Kinda want to throw all this across the fucking room.” Eggsy sniffled. Fuck, he did _not_ want to fucking cry. Just because everything was a fucking lie. Just because whoever made those books _knew_ it was a fucking lie. “But I kinda have to, I think. I’m just. So _fucking_ pissed off right now.”

“You _should_ be,” Tilde said softly, putting her hands on his shoulder and his leg. 

Merlin quietly looked at the next quoted part and found the page Eggsy needed. He said nothing, wanting to wait until Eggsy was calm enough. But he needed to do _something_. And the only other option was to essentially close Eggsy in and trap him between the three of them. He thought that might be a bit disastrous with him so upset and angry. So he read over the pages and tried very hard to not react to what he saw. Eggsy wasn’t the only one who’d suddenly had their worlds shaken. Merlin almost hoped Eggsy would want a break.

Once he was calm, Eggsy nodded and sat forward again. He’d gotten through the worst of it, right? How much worse could it get? “Alright. What’s next?”

“ _Neolithic Omegas: A Study of Primitive Man_ ,” Merlin said quietly. “About why there was only two types of us at the time and Omegas didn’t exist.”

Eggsy nodded and pulled the book and paper over. He read them, but this time he didn’t read more. This time he looked at Tilde for a long, _long_ time. She could see so much anger in his face, so much pain and hate. But she had the idea that it wasn’t directed at her, even if she was somehow the focal point of it.

And then suddenly, Eggsy pulled away from her and Harry and stood up, swaying and losing his battle to not start crying. His entire world, his entire fucking _belief system_ , everything he believed about _himself_ , had been fucking turned on its head. He walked away from them without a word and into the guest room. He slammed the door, and they heard the bathroom door slam shortly after, and the shower start.

“He doesn’t want us to hear,” Merlin said quietly. “He’s probably having some sort of a breakdown.”

“What the fuck did he read?” Tilde said, reaching for the paper.

“There _were_ only two types at the time. The bigger and stronger ones, with more aggressive tendencies. And the smaller and weaker ones. The ones that eventually became Alphas were the hunters; the ones that eventually became Omegas stayed in the villages. Alphas would have children amongst themselves sometimes to ensure more hunters would exist. But, given that Omegas tend to be childbearing, well, they had to take Alphas for mates.”

Tilde nodded. “That makes sense. What about that did… did _that_ to him?!”

“Omegas weren’t just gatherers. They were the healers, the teachers, the _leaders_. Based on what they found, the researchers conducted an experiment with two groups of Omegas and a group of Alphas as their control. They realized that an Omega given the same advantages as an Alpha will exceed the Alphas in _every way_ except physically.”

Tilde stared at Merlin for a moment. “He…”

“That explains why his scores came up so quickly and why he absorbs information the way he does,” Harry said softly. The mocking innocence was gone from his voice. Even he hadn’t expected _that_.

“And why we keep them uneducated,” Merlin said, looking down at the table. “All we have is the ability to physically overpower them.”

Tilde looked at the door, and she could feel herself shaking. She’d had those advantages. She was living proof of what he’d read. He’d been forced to see that she wasn’t some exception to the rule; she _was_ the rule. She was what he, or any of them, could be.

And it was no wonder to her that he’d broken like that.

08

The shower ran for over an hour. Harry and Tilde left before it was done. Eggsy was going to need things; chocolate, ice cream, things of that nature. They wanted him to have it when he was ready to come out and not have to wait for it.

Merlin, feeling as if he couldn’t help Eggsy, not to mention guilty for having believed all of that for so long, sat down and read over the last paper. But it was slow going. Every so often he’d look away from the paper and go over what he’d read in the last one.

He heard the shower shut off finally, but it was still a quarter of an hour before Eggsy came out. He hadn’t gotten dressed and was still just wrapped in a towel. Merlin had a feeling Eggsy had just sat down on the bed and spaced out for a bit. Eggsy’s eyes were red, though, and his face still puffy.

Merlin realized after a moment that Eggsy was _only_ wearing the towel. The chains from the medallion and the necklace hung from one hand. That hand was clutched so tightly his knuckles had turned white.

“I’ve decided something,” he said. His voice was still shaking, and Merlin could hear the anger in it that was threatening to explode still.

“What’s that?” Merlin kept his voice soft and gentle.

“I wanna do it all the time.”

“Do…?”

“I’m gonna pass myself off as a fucking Beta from now on. I’m gonna learn how to out-Alpha fucking Alphas.” He held out the hand that had the chains in it. “And when I’m done training, I’m going to _personally_ murder Charlie-fucking-Hesketh. With _or_ without Arthur’s permission.”

Merlin watched him for a moment before smirking at him. “You know, this sort of confidence and drive? Looks good on you.”

“Yeah, confidence, drive, and a fucking towel.” He went over and sat with Merlin. “Feels good though. I mean, it’s gonna take a while to sink in, but… I’m as good as you are. I really. Fucking. Am.”

“Apparently _better_ in a lot of ways,” he corrected gently, putting an arm around him. “We both should have been listening to Harry.”

“I am never… putting this fucking thing on again.”

Merlin said nothing for a moment before asking, softly, “The medallion, the necklace, or both?”

“I.” Eggsy shook his head. “I still want the necklace. I mean. I don’t know why. But.”

“I read that last paper while you were showering,” he offered.

Eggsy shrugged. “Sure, why not? Everything else was a fucking lie.”

“The group that wrote that paper? They did an anonymous survey of 10,000 volunteers. Alphas, Betas, and Omegas. They found that a lot of Omegas like to take on both roles, even if they can only be the dominant one among other Omegas.”

Eggsy nodded. “Like Tilde.”

“Right. But there was a ‘surprising number’ of Alphas who admitted that they wanted to be overpowered, they wanted to be the one submitting.”

“What?” Eggsy pulled away from him. “ _What?_ ”

“Society reinforces the idea that Omegas have to be submissive and Alphas have to be dominant, but… based on that survey, it seems like it’s mostly just a preference. They don’t know why some of us have mating bonds; they can’t figure that shit out. But the rest? Apparently it just comes down to what you like.”

Eggsy stared at him for a moment and then leaned against him again. “So. How do I know this is what I like and not just… what I’ve been told to like?”

Merlin shrugged slightly. “I don’t know. I think, though, Harry might be right about taking things slowly. But he is absolutely correct about you telling us what you’re feeling and being honest. That, well, applies to the four of us, I think.”

It was only a couple minutes later that Harry and Tilde returned. They both wanted to fuss over him but, after exchanging a look, Harry took the bag of supplies and nodded toward Eggsy. Tilde went over to him and sat with him.

“Hi.” He didn’t move from Merlin’s arms, but he put his hand on her leg and held her hand when she took his.

“How are you, my dear one?”

“I don’t know.” Eggsy shook his head. “Tired. Thirsty. Pissed off.”

Harry came in from the kitchen and brought a glass of water with him. Eggsy looked shyly pleased again for a moment, and then tried to remind himself that Harry wasn’t his better. But it was hard, so hard, to actually _know_ that.

“Thanks,” he said as he took it from Harry. It was gone almost instantly.

“Eggsy’s come to a decision,” Merlin began.

“What’s that?”

Tilde hadn’t missed that both the medallion and the necklace were absent still. It made her happy, and a little nervous.. He’d thought so little of himself, but he’d always seemed happy with her. The night they’d first had sex, though; that worried her now, especially after what he’d said about Harry.

“I ain’t gonna be Sean.”

“No?” Harry asked, his brow rising. “Eggsy, I know you’re upset, but you can’t publicly _be_ Eggsy.”

“Ain’t what I’m saying,” he snapped, and then he sighed. “Sorry. I didn’t…”

“You’re angry,” Harry said calmly. “I can overlook it.”

“I’ll just keep using ‘Gary’ in public. I mean, it was supposed to be my name anyway, right? You guys can figure out what surname I use or whatever. And I ain’t goin’ on the registry or wearing that fucking medallion. I’m gonna be a Beta all the time, and those fuckers’ll never even realize.”

Tilde positively squealed with delight and grabbed him, hugging him as hard as she could. It got a tired, but happy sounding laugh from Eggsy. He let the medallion drop from his hand, although it made his chest tight to do it, and held onto her. 

“Only thing is… Harry, can you, well, help me with…?”

“Learning how to act like one of us? I’d say you did well enough last night, but of course I will.” There was a note of clear pleasure in his voice. “What about your clan, Tilde? They saw plenty of Eggsy.”

“Mm,” she didn’t move from where she was. He was going to be her Beta as much as she was his Alpha. “But I think he can pull it off. And since this _is_ what Mama and Papa were looking for, I’m sure they’ll help if anyone asks.”

“I would suggest,” Harry paused to make sure he had their attention. “That Eggsy use our name, as he had been planning on. It would be less suspicious than a Beta appearing from nowhere with her name. And he already established himself as ‘something like’ a relative of mine.”

“Ooh, Harry secretly took a second mate,” Tilde teased. “Poor Merlin, having to live with the side piece.”

“Yer assuming _I’m_ not the side piece,” Merlin quipped. 

Harry was quiet for a second. “I would like to suggest that we make Eggsy a few more suits. We could have him pick the cloth so that they would be completely his. And I’ll need to take him shopping. I’m sorry, but you’ll have to dress a bit better than ‘Eggsy’ in public.”

“Sure. But if I pick all the cloth, that’d leave Merlin out,” Eggsy said shaking his head. “You picked one, Tilde picked one. He should get a pick, too.”

“Eggsy,” Merlin started.

“No, I mean it,” he said earnestly. “I _want_ you to do one.”

“Alright,” Merlin said smiling. “Then I’ll do one.”

“We’ll have to make this look right, of course.” Tilde said. “I mean, I _want_ Eggsy to come home with me, but if he’s going to be a Beta that I’m dating, then…”

“Then I can’t leave yet.” 

“No, you can’t. But, that _will_ give you time to, I suppose, study me.” Harry said. “When you leave today, we’ll go, as well, to introduce ourselves and ‘Gary’. Are your parents aware that we know about you?”

She bit her lip and shook her head. “But I’ve spent the night here twice and, well, it was after the first night that I came home in a panic. I’m fairly certain they suspect, if nothing else.”

“Then we allay their fears without explaining what information you have. We don’t want them wondering if we’re holding your status over you.”

They didn’t leave right off. They were bringing Eggsy along, and they needed him to be less upset and a bit less volatile. And so, they ended up all in Harry and Merlin’s bedroom; Tilde sitting against the headboard, Eggsy leaning against her, and Harry and Merlin on either side of him. They watched documentaries and fed him ice cream while he relaxed and cooled down.

When Eggsy felt he was ready, Harry contacted Galahad to let her know they were coming, and to be on her guard. As they left, he tossed Eggsy’s glasses to him and took his umbrella. He did not expect this to begin pleasantly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want to see them: [Eggsy's suit](http://www.perfectmensblazers.com/shop-mens/outlet/men-clothing/images/Single-Button-Golden-Floral-Lapel-Black-Blazer-1.png) and [Tilde's dress](https://89b0617fc673e1096fb8-1ec8502e33c74483daf2e223c683d8ad.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/product-hugerect-1122716-203840-1500692431-a734b4802e418d0b666911f200b59316.jpeg).
> 
> To everyone who has stuck with me this long, thank you. You have no idea how much it means to me to see the hits go up with each chapter I finish. I write this because I have a story to tell, but seeing that people want more inspires me to go on and to keep writing regularly.
> 
> And I bet y'all thought you'd heard the last of Charlie.  
> He has it comin’.  
> He has it comin’.  
> He only has himself to blame.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry and Tilde’s mom meet.  
> Plus plot, smut, and Merlin is a shit and Harry’s a diva.  
> Bonus: The first 99.9% angst free fluff scene I have ever written.

01

Things could have gone better when they arrived at Tilde’s home, but things could have been much worse. Tilde was quite right in believing her parents suspected that Harry knew her secret. But what she hadn’t counted on, was how ready her parents were or how much they expected that Harry would, eventually, come to them. They could have gone to him at anytime, but they knew it was safer - for them _and_ for Tilde - if they waited for him to be in _their_ territory.

The only real warning they had was a quick and quiet ‘careful’ from Roxy. But it was enough to confirm Harry’s suspicions. He made certain Tilde was ahead of them, and Eggsy behind. And when they were let inside the manse, he was not surprised at meeting several bodyguards, one of whom all but yanked Tilde behind her. They all had weapons trained on them.

Harry set the tip of his umbrella on the floor, standing with it almost as a gentleman’s cane. “Is this how you always greet guests, or are we special?” His tone was very mild.

“Stand down.”

Tilde’s mother sounded more than a little angry and, as she came into the room, they immediately saw why. Roxy was behind the her, her own weapon trained on the clan-mother. Her bodyguards exchanged glances and then did as she’d said.

“Well, isn’t this spectacular,” Merlin muttered.

“Stand down, Roxy,” Harry said, his tone still mild.

“Yes, sir.” Instantly the gun the was.

“Smart, getting a spy into my home,” she said with a dark look at Roxy.

“I assure you, there _was_ a perfectly good reason for it.”

The clan-mother bristled. “Then why don’t we have a little talk about your ‘reason’.”

“Mama…”

“Quiet,” she snapped, and then she sighed tiredly. “We’ll speak privately. Just you and your spy. Keep an eye on the rest.”

“I would like to request the presence of my… family member and your daughter,” Harry said rather pleasantly, as if they were just going to have a nice chat.

She snarled, but she knew that without her and her mate, Tilde would be defenseless. And while Harry and his two companions would certainly die, so would she. She knew in her heart that her daughter’s blackmailer had someone waiting for them to check in.

“Fine,” she said and turned away from them.

She led them to a conference room and Eggsy shut the door behind them. She sat, still glaring at Harry, and not liking in the least how physically close the Beta was to her child. But what could she do?

“Roxy?”

“The house is clean, sir.”

Harry nodded and took a seat. “I believe you’ve mistaken my intentions.”

She scoffed. “First, you infiltrate my clan. Then my daughter goes into your territory and comes back, very upset, and without her Omega. Then she spends the night with your people and comes back in a panic. She gives me an envelope and tells me not to read it unless ‘something happens’. Finally, she spends the night again, and now you’re here. How, exactly, am I mistaken?”

“To start-”

“It’s because of me,” Eggsy said, moving to stand by Harry. He took his glasses off and put them in his jacket pocket. He knew how much he looked like Harry in this getup, especially since some of it was intentional on his part. Between that and the sachet he was wearing, he wasn't sure she'd even recognized him. 

“Well,” she said stiffly, “at least you brought her property back.”

“Please, let me explain, alright?” He stepped in front of Harry, blocking their view of each other. “I expect you’ll believe me more than him, yeah? We’ll talk and the two of them’ll go keep Hamish and everyone else company.”

“I quite think that’s an excellent idea,” Harry said as he stood. He nudged Eggsy out of the way. “With your approval, of course, madam.”

She eyed Harry suspiciously as she tried to see how this benefited him. She had her daughter and her daughter’s property back. And her people could kill Harry with no harm to her. As much as she distrusted this, she nodded. She waited until they were gone, scribbled something, and went over to Eggsy.

“It’s about time you were returned. I’m half-tempted to have you beaten.” She held up what she’d written. _Where’s the bug?_

Eggsy chuckled, getting the message that she was going to ‘beat’ him wherever the bug she assumed he had on him was. “Harry doesn’t know what I’m saying. And he’s not blackmailing Tilde.”

She smiled patronizingly. “Simply because you are unaware of something-”

“ _Mama_ ,” Tilde cut in, “he’s telling you the truth. Harry. He promised to keep my secret, and he has.”

“He gave her information that could get a _lot_ of our people killed. It was his idea, so she wouldn’t feel so threatened by him.” Eggsy gave her an apologetic look. “And it really was my fault he found out.”

She glared at Eggsy. “Of all people to not keep that kind of secret. I expected better of you.”

He shrugged, playing it off as it that hadn't stung. “Not my fault I’m fantastic in bed. But I wasn’t exactly expecting what happened, you know? Ain’t like too many types like her wanna buy an hour or so with types like me.”

She said nothing for a moment. She wasn’t naive about Omegas, but she hadn’t expected him to be so blunt. “Oh.”

“Yeah. So. My fault.”

She nodded and motioned to a chair, and took up the closest one to it for herself. “How is the rest your fault?”

“Harry has sort of a right and a left hand. One of them is Hamish. The other one is a Beta, and my dad.”

“Then… they’re the ones you ran away from?”

“No. Suffice it to say I was stolen from them. Harry recognized me right off, and he didn’t know how I’d gotten from the people that stole me to Tilde.” Eggsy shook his head. “Fucking Hell, was he pissed off. That’s _why_ he sent Roxy here. You know, his best friend’s kid, who they’ve been looking for all his life, suddenly turns up. He wanted to know how I was being treated and how easily he could get me away from here.”

She looked at Tilde for a moment before nodding. “That… makes perfect sense. I would have done the same.”

“Yeah, so… again, my fault. She ended up having to, officially at least, sell me to Harry, who then, officially, sold me to some friends of his. They live really far away, and they’ve marked me as a runaway to explain why I ain’t there. She, the mother of the clan I ran away from? She’s right pissed off that I got away.”

“She hired mercenaries, Mama,” Tilde said, coming over and putting a hand on Eggsy’s shoulder. “Ones who would have found killing us to get to him acceptable. I was supposed to go today and buy ‘Sean’ from them; they thought a month would be long enough to get them off Eggsy and let him come back.”

“Yeah, and already long story short, I’m living as a Beta now and going by Gary. Publicly, I mean. So, obviously, I couldn’t come back to stay, but Harry wanted to make sure you didn’t think, well, exactly what you did. And so you could ‘meet’ the Beta you’re daughter’s seeing. And, you know, be sure you’d back me up if I needed it.”

“Well,” she said after several minutes. “This is hardly what I was expecting.”

“Yeah, well… Harry’s an odd sort.”

Tilde interrupted him. “Harry’s a _decent_ sort.”

Eggsy eyed her for a moment. “Anyway, like I said, he’s odd. And even if he wasn’t, my mum - that’s the woman who brought Tilde home when she was freakin’ out - would murder him. She would literally murder him.”

“Alright.” She paused. “So why leave the spy in my home?”

“Harry was concerned. He thought they still might target us, so she was keeping an eye on us for him.” Tilde shook her head. “You know she was just trying to protect Harry, right?”

“I suppose things could be worse.” The clan-mother sighed and sat back in the chair. She eyed Tilde for a long, silent, minute. “Why didn’t you just _tell_ me?”

Tilde looked down, clearly feeling guilty. “I wasn’t sure how to even start with the people who were after Eggsy.” She absently rubbed his shoulder. “Then everything happened and I was afraid to even mention it, as if that would _make_ something happen. And then when nothing did, it stopped really being an issue and I didn’t want to bring it up then, just to worry you and Papa over nothing. Then he was supposed to come back with me today. So...”

“You didn’t want to worry us over nothing.” She laughed softly, shaking her head. “I would rather be worried over _nothing_ than worried over what I’m _imagining_.”

“Yes, Mama,” Tilde said quietly.

“So, Gary is Harry’s ‘family member’. What does that mean…?”

Eggsy looked at Tilde for a moment and she shrugged. “Ah, well…”

The clan-mother studied Eggsy’s face for a moment. He was good at hiding things, she’d give him that. “Is this to be a polite way of saying you serve his family in some other respect?”

While the exact meaning of that went over Eggsy’s head, the essence of it did not. “Are you asking if I’m sleepin’ with him?”

“Yes, she is.” Tilde was quiet for a moment before pushing on. “Eggsy has a bond with them. No one expected that, Mama, and…”

“And I told her to just say the word and I’d walk away from them. But she ain’t.” He took her hand and kissed it. “They share me.” The wonder at that still came through clear in his voice.

“And you both want that?”

Tilde smiled softly. “I admit, I was very uncertain about it to begin with. But. They’re good for him, and _to_ him.”

She stood. “Well, then I suppose there’s no reason for them to be out there. I’ll go and get them and then we can…” she paused and stroked along Eggsy's jaw with the back of her hand, “discuss my daughter's charming new Beta.”

02

In the coming weeks, Eggsy realized just how lucky he was to have a clan-father so willing to let him pass himself off as a Beta. Eggsy soon had all the papers he needed, and Harry helped him get an ID card. An actual ID card! And that paved the way for his next wish.

“I wanna learn how to drive.”

Harry smiled indulgently. “Are you quite aware of the laws against an Omega driving? And the sort of trouble you’ll be in if you’re ever caught?”

Eggsy grinned, almost bouncing on the balls of his feet. “Oh, yeah. I am very, _very_ aware of that, Harry.”

“Well, then I suppose we should get started.”

“Yes, Harry!”

Eggsy jumped up on him, throwing his arms around Harry’s neck and holding on. He felt Harry’s arms around him, keeping him up off the ground, and he bent his legs back. He hadn’t expected Harry to say no, but he was still so very happy that Harry had so readily agreed.

Harry and Merlin decided it would be best if they taught him, rather than a teacher. An actual driving teacher would work, but they could also weave in things Eggsy would need as a Kingsman agent. A lot of it ended up falling to Merlin, which he was fine with. Better he taught Eggsy what he needed the right way instead of trying to fix Harry’s version.

Merlin didn’t keep Harry updated too well on Eggsy’s progress. It wasn’t an intentional thing, not really. But Eggsy was hardly the only project Merlin had going and reporting on _that_ to Harry just slipped his mind. At first, anyway. And then Merlin began to realize that Eggsy was mainly going to him for lessons, and decided he needed to have fun with it, and then suggested to Harry that going with Eggsy just for a drive might be fun. He even made them a nice little playlist for the drive.

Harry was nicely surprised by the drive. The music was lovely, the company exquisite, and Eggsy had learned quite well so far. He assumed there was some surprise coming, because - as a small delay from traffic had showed him - the playlist was tied to the GPS. They’d been driving for nearly an hour and were in a very rural area. Harry could see the destination point on the GPS display, and Eggsy pulled smoothly into the turnaround. By the time the song ended, the car was facing the road again.

“And now?” Harry asked.

Eggsy grinned at him and settled back against the seat. A new map loaded in the GPS as a dance song with a heavy synth baseline started. Before that had finished fading into the melody, Eggsy had floored it, rear wheels screaming as they fought for traction. 

“Eggsy, I think-” was all Harry got out before the wheels found their grip. He was slammed back in his seat as the car took off. He held onto the grab bar as Eggsy shot around curves, and there was more than one point where the GPS, clearly programmed by Merlin, told him to drive _backwards_. Everytime the word ‘bonkers’ was sung, it flashed on the display in bright, neon colors. It was during one of these flashes that Eggsy missed an instructed turn, and ended up having to do a hard 180° turn to get back on track. And it made Harry realize, with something akin to horror, that this _wasn’t_ a practiced run.

It was, perhaps, the longest three minutes of his life.

Eggsy pulled into the turnaround again, slamming on the brakes and stopping them perfectly in time with the music. He looked at Harry, grinning. Harry was white-knuckling the grab bar by the end, and it was all Eggsy could do to keep from laughing.

“So, Merlin says I’m good to take the license test.”

It took several moments for Harry to relax his grip enough to let go of the grab bar. He stared at Eggsy all the while. “Yes, I would… quite say you are.”

“Do you wanna drive back?” Eggsy asked, quickly losing his battle to not laugh.

“That depends on whether or not you and Merlin have a second pass of that planned?”

Eggsy shook his head, still laughing. “No, it was just the one. Promise.”

“Well, then,” Harry said, straightening out his suit coat and giving Eggsy his most put out and annoyed look, “ _you_ may drive.”

Eggsy reached over and took Harry’s hand; he kissed the back of it and winked at him. “Wasn’t all bad, was it?”

Harry did not answer, but did his very best to continue looking scandalized. Eggsy nodded, as if he’d expected this showing from Harry, and pulled out of the turnaround. The playlist went back to what Harry considered pleasant. But rather than heading back, Eggsy had taken Harry a bit farther away from home. In short order, Eggsy turned into the lot for a nice looking restaurant.

“And what’s this?”

Eggsy chuckled. “Merlin thought you might need a bit mollifying.”

Harry sniffed. “Mollifying?”

Eggsy grinned at him. “Well, if you’d rather just go home. I mean, when we looked this place up, it sounded good.”

“No, no,” Harry said, almost a little too quickly. “If you and Merlin have gone to this much trouble, I suppose I could be in need of ‘mollifying’.”

Eggsy parked and opened the door for Harry, who was quite enjoying himself. He let Eggsy take him by the arm and lead him inside. For Eggsy’s tastes, he would have called it fancy. Harry wouldn’t have agreed, but with Eggsy doting on him like this, he was more than happy with it. He was more than a little surprised when the bill came and Eggsy snatched it up before he could.

“Hamish thought I should have a card of my own,” he admitted shyly. “For emergencies like.”

Harry raised his brow. “And this qualifies, does it?”

“Oh, absolutely,” Eggsy laughed. “In fact, ‘mollifying Harry’ is third on the list of what makes an emergency.”

“Well, I am feeling quite mollified, my dear.”

“Oh, that’s a shame,” Eggsy said, not sounding as if he meant it.

“Why is it a shame?”

“Hamish suggested we make it a weekend. Got reservations at this B&B he found. But if you’re feeling ‘quite mollified’, then it ain’t an emergency anymore and I guess we better just head back home.”

Harry chuckled quietly. “We’re already here and he’s expecting to have the place to himself for the weekend. I’d hate to spoil whatever plans he has.”

Eggsy drove them to the bed & breakfast. It was a small place, with no more than ten rooms, but that suited them just fine. The plan was to spend time together, alone. Their room was done in soft blues, and had a four poster, mahogany bed with a sheer, white canopy. The bedside table had a nice assortment of things they might need. There was a little gathering area, with a loveseat and coffee table. There was a pair of wine flutes on the coffee table, along with a vase of roses, and - off to the side - a chilling bottle of wine.

“Clearly, I’ve been going about this all wrong if this is what ‘mollify Harry’ is,” Harry said half-jokingly.

Eggsy took off his blazer and hung it up. He started unbuttoning his shirt, their necklace visible before he said anything. “You know I love being your equal, yeah?”

Harry nodded. “Of course I know that.”

“Tonight, I wanna be your Omega.” He shrugged the shirt off and hung it up. He was tempted to just let it drop, but he knew Harry would insist. “I want you to own me, possess me, do whatever you will with me.”

A smirk played on Harry’s lips. He’d been very serious when he’d told Eggsy they would go slowly. Eggsy had slept beside him and Merlin on many occasions, but it had never gone beyond that. They’d kissed, and often, but it had never advanced far beyond. And to have his beloved offering himself like this was… a bit beyond simply erotic.

Eggsy went over to him and knelt at his feet, his eyes never leaving Harry’s own. Harry could see so much love and adoration in Eggsy’s face. “I ain’t gonna say there’s no way I’m wrong and that I ain’t ready, but I think I am. I think I understand what it means to _want_ this, for me and for us, and not just for you.”

_Fuuuuuck_. Eggsy and Merlin could say all they wanted about Harry’s ability to have shit roll off his tongue and come off like roses, but this naked honesty had Harry feeling weak.

Eggsy sat up on his knees, his hands going to Harry’s belt and undoing it. “Do you know what today is, Harry?” he asked softly.

“Aside from Friday, no.”

“Today marks exactly three months since I first went out as a Beta. Six months ago, I wanted nothing more than to die. You and Merlin and Tilde… I ain’t exaggerating when I say you brought me back to life.”

“Eggsy…”

“No, lemme finish.” It was a demand and not a request; he’d taken a good deal of time figuring out exactly how he was going to say this. He slid Harry’s trousers off and then stood, and started loosening Harry’s tie. “You’ve let me learn and grow and become more than I ever dreamed I could be. They all taught me I was just a maggot; you showed me I was a butterfly.” He paused, his hands no longer undressing Harry as he gazed into his Alpha’s eyes. “I love you, Harry Hart.”

Harry could feel himself melting with every word. When he’d insisted on total honesty between them, he’d been thinking of Eggsy’s fears and him doing things because he felt it was expected. He hadn’t even thought of Eggsy saying all of this. Well, yes, he’d hoped-slash-assumed that someday Eggsy would say ‘I love you’, but not like this. _Never_ like this.

“How am I supposed to possess you,” Harry asked softly, stroking Eggsy’s cheek, “when you’ve just stolen away everything I am?”

Eggsy grinned a bit. “Because I’m giving you everything I am?”

He picked Eggsy up and carried him over to the bed, laying him down almost delicately. Eggsy’s arms slid over his head, crossing his wrists and silently inviting Harry to tie him up. His lips were parted and his gaze never wavered from Harry’s own.

“You… look like a wanton slut,” Harry said as he leaned over Eggsy. There was no reprimand in his voice, only lust and desire.

“That such a bad thing?”

“No, darling. The very opposite.”

Harry slid Eggsy’s undershirt off of him and tossed it aside. It made Eggsy shiver that Harry was dropping any pretense of manners and propriety. He slipped his own hands to Harry’s stomach to reciprocate and quickly found Harry’s hands locked around his wrists like irons. Harry pushed Eggsy’s hands down to either side of the Omega’s head.

“I did not give you permission to move,” he growled.

“No, Harry, you didn’t,” Eggsy breathed.

Harry released Eggsy’s wrists and ran his hands down the shivering Omega’s arms and torso. He pulled Eggsy’s briefs off and took him into his mouth; he’d wanted to taste Eggsy almost since the moment he’d first seen him, and every second of that had been worth it. His name was on Eggsy’s lips and he could feel the Omega fighting to stay still.

Harry lightly grazed Eggsy’s cock with his teeth as he moved off of him, very pleased by the needy sounds it brought. He reached over to the table and got a bottle of lubricant, and gently worked one finger inside of him. “How much stretching do you like, darling?”

Eggsy shook his head. “I dunno. No one ever, really… You don’t have to.”

Harry worked a second finger in with the first and pressed where he knew it would feel best. Eggsy gasped and arched up, his hands clenching with the need to move.

“And how is my darling slut supposed to enjoy himself if he’s in the wrong sort of pain?”

He worked at Eggsy, tormenting him every so often and relishing the way he fought to keep still. When he felt Eggsy was ready, he pushed inside of him, watching as Eggsy’s head tipped back and he cried out from it.

“Now, my darling,” Harry said laying over him, “you’re not to come until I tell you that you may. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, Harry,” he breathed.

Harry thrust as deeply as he could, and he could feel Eggsy straining to stay still. He kept up a steady, but maddeningly slow, pace and it wasn’t long before Eggsy was crying out from need and pleasure. And it was becoming harder and harder to keep still.

“Harry,” he whined. “Let me move. Please. Fucking give me permission.”

“That’s not a very nice way of asking,” Harry said, covering Eggsy’s mouth with his own and nearly devouring him. “You have permission.”

Eggsy’s arms were around his neck almost the second the words were out of his mouth, and Eggsy met him thrust for thrust, even as Harry sped up. Eggsy let his head fall back, and Harry’s mouth was on his neck, his teeth deep in the Omega’s flesh. And oh, fuck did it hurt, but it was such a _good_ pain that he nearly came from it.

“Harry… Harry, I can’t.”

“You can and you will,” he said, his lips moving against Eggsy’s skin. “Or I am going to keep using you like the slut you are until I’m satisfied.”

The words made him shiver in such a good way and it took everything in him to not just explode. He wasn’t even aware that he kept whimpering ‘I can’t’ over and over again, even as he managed to hold himself back.

“Come for me, slut,” he commanded, just as he felt his own orgasm hit.

“Yes, master,” he cried, letting it happen finally and completely unaware of what he’d called Harry.

The rode the waves of their orgasms together, and settled in each other’s arms. Eggsy snuggled up to him, feeling so perfectly contented and fucked in all the best of ways. Harry idly stoked his hair as they lay there. He was very aware of just how much more possessive he would be of Eggsy now with their bond solidified.

“Were you alright with that, my calling you a slut?” Harry began after they’d both started to come down, “I should have asked you beforehand, really.”

“ _Fuck_ yes, I was alright with it,” Eggsy said with a laugh. “I mean, I don’t want you calling me it just because. But yeah. I liked being your slut.”

He kissed the top of Eggsy’s head. “Did you intend to call me ‘master’?”

Eggsy looked up at him. “When did I…?”

“At the end.”

Eggsy shook his head and shrugged. “No, but… I told you I wanted you to own me. And I mean it. Like this, anyway.”

He kissed Eggsy again. “Then I shall ever strive to be worthy of owning someone I love.”

It made Eggsy shiver to hear that. To surrender himself to someone and be treated as a treasured gift. To be told by his Alpha that he was loved. To feel so perfectly, and wonderfully, _right_ where he was.

03

They got Eggsy licensed in short order after his weekend with Harry. He started volunteering to drive nearly anytime Harry, Merlin, or his mum needed something. It gave him a feeling of freedom like nothing else had. Because he could just _go_ if he felt like it. There was nothing really forcing him to stay where he was, except that he was where he wanted to be.

It wasn’t long after that Merlin summoned him for a new test. This was supposed to be a real world test of his training and skills. And Eggsy was eager enough to try it.

“This is your target,” Merlin said, handing Eggsy a picture of an attractive female. “By the end of the night, I expect you to have slept with her.”

Eggsy’s eyes narrowed. “And why the fuck are you sending me off to do that? What happened to no forcing Eggsy to be a whore again?”

Merlin shook his head. “Yeh misunderstand, but…”

He trailed off. This was such a normal part of training that he hadn’t even thought about how Eggsy would see it. He’d never even brought it up with him. It just was part of the job and it was one that, in general, people were aware of. Primarily because stories and movies about spies were full of it. Sometimes he honestly forgot how sheltered, in some ways, Eggsy really was.

“I do get why,” he continued gently. “This isn’t about prostituting yourself. Sometimes this is how we have to get information. Or plant trackers on people. Honeypot missions are sometimes vital, and often enough, these are not people who’ll take the advances of a paid date, you understand me?”

Eggsy eyed Merlin for a moment. “So… Like even Harry has to do this?”

Merlin laughed. “Harry has one of the best track records. Eggsy, you _do_ know that teaching you weapons isn’t just a precaution, yeah? That often enough, we end up killing people. Do you really find sex with a target _more_ objectionable than killing them?”

Eggsy opened his mouth to say something, closed it, and then shrugged. “Not when you put it like that, no.”

“Alright then.” He offered Eggsy a dossier. “Learn it and be there tonight. There’s a car assigned to you.”

Eggsy grinned. “No problem. 

He spent the afternoon studying the reports and committed as much of it to memory as he could. When he got to the party, he got a drink and mingled for a little bit while he looked for his target. He found her sitting alone on a couch. And that was perfect. He made his way over to her.

“I saw you from across the room and I couldn’t believe someone looking like you do would be sitting alone.”

She smiled up at him. “Then why don’t you join me.”

He took a seat next to her. “I’m Gary.”

“Sophie. Is this the part where you tell me _just_ how beautiful I am?”

He grinned. “Well, I could if you really wanted. But you seem so self-aware of how beautiful you are, that I hardly expect flattery would go far with you.”

She laughed softly. “You aren’t wrong about that.”

“Honestly, I’d much rather get to know you, beyond what I can see.”

She took a sip of her drink and scooted ever-so-slightly closer to him. “That’s a pick-up line I don’t hear very often.”

He chuckled. “If I said it wasn’t a line, would that prove it is?” He took a sip of his drink and paused, because it tasted like salt. He looked over at the bartender and just caught him looking away quickly. A bartender that drugs his customers; how wonderful. He set his drink aside.

“It would make you interesting, certainly. I _like_ interesting men.” She eyed his drink. “Didn’t like it?”

He shrugged. “I don’t need a drink when I’ve got company like you.”

Sophie chuckled. She could certainly see how much of an impact Harry’d had on his protégé. If she hadn’t known - thanks to the rumor mill that _did_ exist within Kingsman - that he was an Omega, she never would have pegged him as one. It was almost a shame that they were going to be interrupted soon enough; she wouldn’t mind sleeping with this one.

And on cue, he came over.

“Excuse me, but are you Gary, sir?”

Eggsy nodded. “Yeah, that’s me. Why?”

“There’s a telephone call for you. A gentleman by the name of Harry.”

Eggsy looked more than a little surprised. “Sorry, gotta take it.”

“Boyfriend?” She asked silkily.

He laughed. “If I had a boyfriend, would I be out here trying to pick you up? I’ll be right back.”

He followed the man to where the phone was, thanked him, and picked the receiver up. “Yeah, Harry?”

But there was nothing. Not a dial tone, not the sound of a connection. Just dead air. He realized the change in tactics all too late and felt a silencer against his back. He set the receiver down and held his hands out slightly.

“So what’s this about?”

A hand clamped on his shoulder like a vice and he was herded into a back room. He knew if he couldn’t maneuver his way out of this, he was dead. Even if he had no idea what in the fuck this was about.

“You’re going to tell me what I want to know, or I’m going to kill you.”

“Figured that out already, thanks,” Eggsy said pleasantly.

“Who is Harry Hart _really_?”

“Um… my clan-father?” Eggsy answered, sounding as if he didn’t know what he was being asked.

“That’s who he _pretends_ to be. Who is he _really_?”

“I don’t know what you’re on about, mate.”

He pushed the silencer harder against Eggsy’s back. “If this was a movie, this is where you’d hear the gun cock as a last warning. Now you’re going to tell me what Kingsman _really_ gets up to, or I’m gonna start shooting. And I don’t have to kill you all at once.”

Eggsy considered his options and then sighed heavily. “Alright. Alright. I’ll talk.”

He felt the pressure let up slightly, and he dropped, kicking his leg out and turning as he went down. His assailant hadn’t been expecting it, and it was the only reason Eggsy managed to knock him off his feet. He landed hard, the gun sliding across the floor, and Eggsy scrambled for it.

He couldn’t get to it before the bigger man grabbed him and started laying into him. Eggsy fought under him, not to stop him, but to get away. It had been quite some time since he’d been beaten, but he still knew how to push through the pain. He managed to land a solid kick, and while he’d been aiming for his assailant’s stomach, he hit a bit lower than he meant to and the bigger man curled up, howling in pain.

It made Eggsy very glad of the music in the main area of the club. 

He grabbed the gun just as the bigger man fell on him again and he shot twice. The man’s eyes went wide and he fell back limply. Eggsy backed away from him, almost scrambling, panting and feeling himself trembling. Immediately his mind started screaming about what happens to Omegas who attack their ‘betters’.

“Get it under control,” he snapped at himself. This was part of the job, and he was going to have to get used to it. He was going to learn to not start freezing up just because he'd had to fight someone. Or kill them.

He put the gun in his coat pocket and, once he’d managed to stop himself from shaking, went out of the room. He didn’t run, didn’t rush; he just - as calmly as he could - made his way out and back to the car. As far as he was concerned, the test was over. Someone had _known_ that he’d be there; someone was after Harry. And that was more important than passing Merlin's test, even if failing meant he was done.

Unbeknownst to Eggsy, of course, Harry and Merlin were back at Kingsman and waiting for an unconscious Eggsy to be brought in and tied to the section of rail they had set up. It was taking far too long and it was worrying Harry. Not that someone might have made Eggsy as an Omega; Eggsy was in a fairly controlled environment. But just because it had never taken this long. 

The phone finally rang and Merlin took it. He sat back, looking rather amused, when he hung up.

“So… Apparently Eggsy knows what Rohypnol tastes like. He made the bartender after a sip.”

“Oh, shit…”

“They improvised. Took him in the back at gunpoint, gave him the test.”

“And?”

“And,” Merlin said chuckling, “he said he’d talk, and instead proceed to drop our friend, get the gun away from him, and shoot him twice. He went with it and played dead, although he would like you to know that being shot point-blank, even with a vest, hurts like, as he put it, a ‘mother fucker’ and he will be taking a couple days.”

“Then where did Eggsy go?”

“Sophie said he left and took off. I’d expect-”

He was cut off by the door being thrown open and a frantic looking Eggsy rushing through. Harry immediately went to him.

“Harry, at the club-”

“I know. I know. It’s alright.”

“No, you don’t-”

“It was part of the test,” he said firmly. “Frankly, we haven’t had anyone realize they were being drugged before. You, um, definitely threw them.”

“Part of the…” He looked at Harry, then at Merlin, then back to Harry. “But…”

“They were blanks, Eggsy, and he was protected.”

Eggsy looked between his Alphas again. “You fuckers,” he said with a disbelieving laugh.

“Yeh passed though,” Merlin offered.

“I better have fucking passed. Fucking Hell, Harry. Thought your damn life was on the line.”

Harry smiled somewhat apologetically. “Our lives are always on the line with this.”

“You wankers,” Eggsy complained, swatting Harry’s arm. “You need a ‘Mollify Eggsy’ plan now.”

Merlin laughed. “How about… there’s only one more test before you’re an agent?”

Eggsy grinned. “Alright. That works, _this_ time. Next time, I want to be pampered and Harry has to plan it.”

Harry grinned. “I think that’s fair.”

04

It was a couple weeks later when he got home to the surprise of Tilde there, waiting for him. They’d been routinely going out, sometimes alone and sometimes with Harry and Merlin. And they’d spent the night at each other’s place on many occasions, but he hadn’t been expecting her. And he wasn’t expecting Harry to be sitting beside her with a serious expression on his face.

“What’s this…?”

“Tilde and I have… had a very long conversation.”

Eggsy nodded. “About me…?”

“Of course.”

Eggsy looked from one to the other, feeling tight in his chest. “What is it?”

Tilde grinned at him. “Depends on, um…” she looked him up and down, slowly, “what you feel like right now.”

He looked from Tilde, to Harry, and back again. “I… could be up for something. Depending on what it is.”

“Well… Harry is going to tie you up and torment you. And I’m gonna watch. Mostly.”

Eggsy lifted his brow. “Mostly?”

She grinned and bit her lip. “Until I help him?”

Eggsy looked from one to the other. “Sounds good to me.”

Tilde all but bounced from excitement and Harry put his hand out to silently still her. Eggsy wasn’t sure _what_ they’d been planning to do to him, but it was becoming more interesting by the second.

“Then go and undress. We’ll join you in a moment,” Harry instructed

Eggsy grinned, tipped a wink to Tilde, and went into the bedroom to do as he was told. One of the Alphas had installed a pulley in the bedroom ceiling some weeks back, and they hadn’t had the opportunity to use it yet. Tonight, there was a rope, which ended in a hook, threaded through it and the thought of using it gave him good shivers.

It was only a minute or two before they joined him. Tilde stood a bit away from him while Harry started tying his wrists together. He watched what Harry was doing, but when he saw her move, he looked over at her and saw _she_ was undressing.

“Babe…?” He was curious about what she was doing, _why_ she was doing it. But he wasn’t objecting.

“Do keep your attention where it belongs, my pet,” Harry chided softly. “I don’t want this to _actually_ hurt you.”

“Right. Sorry.”

Harry looked up from his work and gently kissed Eggsy’s lips. “No apologies, just focus.” He pulled the knots tight and gave Eggsy’s wrists an experimental tug. “How does it feel?”

“Fine.”

He kissed Eggsy’s hands before slipping the knot over the hook. He pulled the rope back until Eggsy just had to push up onto his toes to stay standing. He went back over to Eggsy and walked a slow circle around him, before wrapping an arm around him from behind and grabbing his cock. 

“You’re already rock hard,” he said quietly, right against Eggsy’s ear. “You really enjoy the idea of her watching while I do unspeakable things to you, don’t you, my darling slut?”

Eggsy shivered. “Yes, Harry,” he admitted, sounding shy.

Tilde, down to just her lacy panties, giggled. “I don’t know _what_ you’re saying to him, but he’s turning the loveliest shade of pink.”

“I could,” Harry said as he began stroking Eggsy, “just fuck you. Let her see and hear just what you’re like with me. And I think you’d like it, or am I wrong?”

Eggsy didn’t need Tilde’s still-so-amused look to know he was getting redder. “You’re not wrong,” he half-whispered, trying to not squirm. When she’d said Harry was going to torment him, he hadn’t thought she’d meant like this. He was enjoying it, but at the same time it made him feel shy. He couldn’t have really said why, either, except maybe the way Harry was talking to him.

“You know, I have to wonder then…” Harry trailed off and let go of Eggsy.

He walked around Eggsy and over to where Tilde was. When he was behind her, she obligingly put her arms up without him asking her to. He leaned down and she locked her hands behind his neck. His hands slid around her, moving up her breasts, and squeezing her nipples almost cruelly. She braced against him, going up on tiptoe and letting out a very pleasured shriek.

“Would this have the same effect?” He asked, squeezing her nipples again, her head tipping back against him. “Your master fucking your Alpha while you watch.”

“Fuuck,” Eggsy whispered.

“I asked you a question, pet,” Harry said, his voice firm in the way that made Eggsy want nothing more than to obey him.

“Yes,” he breathed. “Yes, Harry.”

Harry slowly released Tilde. “Go to him, my dear.”

She walked over to Eggsy, and he could see that she was a little unsteady on her feet. Fuck, he loved it though. This was a sort of unsteady he couldn’t _do_ for her, and she looked so very happy with it.

“Get on your knees,” Harry commanded and she obeyed. “Now show him how happy this makes you, my dear.”

She quite obligingly took Eggsy into her mouth, one hand coming up to massage his balls, and he hissed a breath in pleasure. She made muffled little sounds of pleasure as she all but devoured him. She’d gone down on him plenty, but he’d never known her to be so vocal or quite so intense during it. 

The rope held him too high off the ground to buck his hips toward her very well, but then Harry was behind him, his hands on Eggsy’s abs, holding him still. He bit Eggsy’s neck, just where it met the shoulder, and the Omega screamed his pleasure.

“Fuck, Harry. I ain’t…” 

“You aren’t what, my darling slut?”

The words were a purr against Eggsy’s neck and he whined. He already knew he wasn’t going to last long, not with the both of them doing things to him, and not with Harry talking with that fucking tone. He felt Tilde’s teeth grazing the underside of his cock, and the almost painful pressure she put on him just below the head.

“Can I…” he swallowed hard. “Fuck. Do I need permission? Can I come?”

Harry laughed softly. It wasn’t a hard and fast rule, but it hadn’t been difficult to realize that Eggsy enjoyed being kept at the edge of an orgasm. Not after the night they realized Tilde was an Omega; she’d kept him on that edge for quite some time. His asking made Harry want to tell him to hold back, but he had been so good and he didn’t want this first time with Tilde involved, with her submitting herself to him, to be anything but pure pleasure for both of the Omegas.

“Yes, my darling,” he said, nipping Eggsy’s neck again. “Give her what she wants.”

He felt her grab onto his ass as he came, holding him tightly against her and not letting him get so much as an inch away from her mouth. He could feel her sucking down and swallowing what he was giving her, even as he felt himself getting soft. By the time she let go of him and stood up, he was shivering all over and he was only staying up because of the ropes.

Harry slid his arm behind Eggsy’s knees and picked him up. “Lift your hands off of the hook, darling.”

Eggsy did so and then lay against him. Harry carried him over to the bed and gently laid him on it. He called Tilde over as he untied Eggsy’s wrists and had her lay beside him. Almost instantly Eggsy’s arms were around her, and she put her own around him. Harry laid down on the other side of Eggsy and put his arm over him and laying his hand on Tilde.

Harry stayed cuddled against them until their breathing slowed and they were no longer shivering. He got them some water, and took care of them, showing them without words how cared for they were, how treasured they were.

05

The next afternoon found Eggsy letting himself into Harry’s office just around lunch. While not unusual in and of itself, he was smirking and Harry knew he was up to something.

“You know, I never gave you any sorta proper ‘thank you’ yesterday.”

Harry’s brow rose. “This is hardly the time or the place, Eggsy.”

Eggsy nodded. “Yeah, I know and I figured that’s how you’d react. I told Merlin you wouldn’t go for it.”

Harry turned toward him. “ _Merlin_ is involved in this?”

Eggsy nodded. “Yep. We got talking about last night. We tend to talk about these things, since… you know…”

“You and he have not been intimate as of yet.”

Eggsy nodded again. “Yeah, so he was all ‘and yeh didn’t do a fockin’ thing ta him’ and I was all ‘oh shit, no I didn’t’. So he said if I came down here and you let him know I was here, he’d put your office in lockdown mode so no one can just barge in and he’d field your calls.”

“Well, isn’t that nice of him,” Harry said, sounding genuinely pleased. He picked up his phone and dialed Merlin’s extension. “Yes, the person you sent down is here and I’m going to be in conference for a bit. And Merlin… I really appreciate this gesture.” He turned back to Eggsy. “So… what did you have in mind?”

Eggsy grinned. “You don’t mind if I take the lead here?”

Harry shook his head. “Not at all. This is, after all, _your_ gesture. It just wouldn’t do for me to tell you how it should go.” 

“Gimme your trousers and your pants. I want them off.”

It amused Eggsy to no end how, well, _obediently_ Harry reacted. He didn’t think it meant that Harry was like Tilde and liked both roles; he just took it as a clear sign that Harry was very interested in this. Even with his ‘hardly the time or the place’ comment.

He took the clothing from Harry, folded it nicely so the trousers wouldn’t have any rumpling in them and went over to Harry. He put a hand on Harry’s chest and pushed him back. Harry took a step back, felt his chair, and sat in it. Eggsy knelt in front of him.

“Now… The walls down here ain’t exactly thick. I’d keep it down if I was you,” Eggsy purred, as if he didn’t know the walls were soundproofed.

Eggsy took him into his mouth, and went deliberately slow and soft. Harry’s hand twined in Eggsy’s hair, but he refused to make this any quicker for him. He tormented Harry for a solid twenty minutes, enjoying every little whispered cry and hair tug, before he went hard enough and fast enough to let Harry get off. Afterward he grinned up at him like a cat who’s gotten into the cream.

“Did you like that?”

“Very. Much so, darling.”

“Mm, good.” He kissed Harry’s lips and tossed his pants to him. “There is just one… tiny… little thing.”

“Yes?”

Eggsy picked up his trousers. “See, Merlin didn't exactly send me down here to thank you. He send me after these. I’ll be in his office.”

And with that, he sprang toward the door and took off running, Harry’s trousers firmly in his arms. Harry stared after Eggsy, not believing at first that he’d _really taken off with his trousers_. Harry picked up the phone and called Merlin’s extension.

“This is Merlin.”

“My trousers. Now.”

Merlin chuckled. “Darling, do you remember, oh, four months ago or so, you told me you were awaiting my revenge?”

The night they’d taken Eggsy on his first date came back to Harry. Harry had teased Merlin about miniature golf being a version of golf. Merlin had threatened revenge, and Harry had forgotten about it in the interim.

“Oh, you fucker.”

Merlin laughed. “It’s a good thing I haven’t had nearly half an hour, now isn’t it?”

“What did you do?”

Merlin didn’t answer; he just hung up with a laugh.

“Oh, you shit,” Harry said as he hung up. 

He got up and took a deep breath. At least Eggsy had left him his pants, although his suit coat and shirt covered him nicely anyway. Still, that _was_ the last thing he needed as Arthur, a bunch of giggling Knights talking about his genitalia.

He strode out of his office, trying to maintain some level of dignity, and headed toward the lifts. Miraculously, he got to them without being seen. He strode through the manor house, passing a few of the civilians who lived with them. He nodded to them and they didn’t seem the least bit phased. It was not unknown in the manor house at this point that he let his Omega pass for a Beta; he supposed they must just take this as another of his eccentricities.

He was, however, greatly relieved when he got to his flat and inside of it. At least he could get into something and _then_ go give his mate a talking to. But once he was in the bedroom, he realized the full extent of what Merlin had done. His closet door was standing open, the light inside still on. Even before he got over to it, he knew _all_ of his trousers were gone.

He took out his mobile from his coat and called Merlin’s personal line. He was less than amused by the laughter than answered. He could hear all three of the culprits; Merlin, Eggsy, and Tilde.

“Yes, sir?”

“Where the fuck are my trousers, Merlin?”

“In my office. I had a feeling you wouldn’t come here first. I’ll tell you what, dear love of mine: you come to my office and you can have them back.”

“I’ll do no such thing, thank you.”

“Harry,” Merlin all but purred. Harry could _picture_ the smirk on his mate’s face. “They’re staying down here until you come down here.”

“Merlin, there is a couch with your name on it.”

“Yeah, I figured that would be in my future.”

Harry hung up and strode out of the flat again. He didn’t know how his luck held out, but once he was back under the manor house, he didn’t see a single person. He didn’t know _how_ he would have lived it down if someone had seen him like this. 

He got to Merlin’s office and let himself in without a knock. Eggsy and Merlin still had their shit-eating grins firmly in place, and Tilde whistled at him. Merlin offered him his trousers back, which Harry snapped away and started dressing. 

“Do you realize how much this could have undermined my authority here?”

“Oh, absolutely. That’s why I sent a message to everyone except you this morning that there was going to be a lockdown drill.”

“A…” Harry stared at him, speechless.

“They’re all nicely in their offices, waiting for the all clear to come through.” Merlin swiveled in his chair and sent the all clear code. “You didn’t _really_ think I’d humiliate you, did you?”

“Well…” Harry stammered. “Honestly, I didn’t think about it.”

Merlin stood and went over to him, chuckling. “I would never undermine your authority as Arthur for a prank.”

Harry looked away, putting on a great show of pouting indignantly.

“Ach, come on, you,” Merlin said, pulling Harry into his arms and kissing him.

Harry pushed away after, intent on keeping up his appearance of being scandalized and put out. “I feel the need to be mollified.”

Eggsy laughed. “Never should have told him about Emergency Level Three.”

“Hmph. Level Three. As if that should be anything lower than a Level One,” Harry said in his prim yet put out tone.

Tilde giggled. “I have reservations for you and I at a spa tomorrow, Harry. We’re going to go and both be pampered until you feel utterly apologized to.”

Harry looked as if he was seriously considering whether or not this was enough for an Emergency Level Three. “Well… I _suppose_ that will do.”

In truth, as soon as he’d learned there had been no real threat to his reputation - aside from learning how eccentric some people already viewed him - he’d stopped being mad. He knew he’d relent and not actually make Merlin sleep on the couch; he didn’t really like not having Merlin in bed beside him. The thing was, he just couldn’t let _them_ know, not outright anyway. He had an appearance to keep up, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Colin did a movie, I don’t know what, [but it may have inspired](https://images.plurk.com/3b00YmMi9WzkexZQXK2XCo.png) Merlin’s revenge.
> 
> And I would have had this out sooner, but I've been hopped up on cold medication for 2 weeks (just to find out it was a respiratory infection and not a cold) and writing more serious, more detailed stuff when I'm loopy is hard.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eggsy has one last test before he's an agent. But as you might have noticed... he never had to pick a puppy.

01

“If things go well, your final test will be in two weeks’ time.”

Eggsy frowned. “Why in two weeks? I’m done with all the other tests and all I’m doing around here is weapons practice.”

Harry sighed. “I realize that you’re impatient Eggsy, but there is a reason.”

“One you ain’t plannin’ on telling,” he said flatly.

“Eggsy, what _do_ you know about the final test?”

Eggsy shrugged. “Not much. Ain’t like there’s many people I can ask about it without, you know, giving away what you’re doing.”

Harry chuckled. “The trouble with trying to keep something secret from spies, is that they’re _spies_. I’m well aware that most people in this building know about you. I suppose most of them don’t expect you to actually make it; others, I’m sure, are taking it as an indulgence.”

Eggsy crossed his arms. “So what’s the hold up?”

Harry eyed him for a few moments. “You’ve seen Mr. Pickles.”

“Yeah, kinda hard not to.”

“Early on in training, each candidate chooses a puppy. You raise it, you train it. And the final two candidates are brought to separate rooms, handed a gun, and told to shoot their dog.”

Eggsy stared at him in shock. “You shot your dog for a fucking _job_?!”

“Yes. It’s a test much like the others, with failsafes. Like the test we attempted to drug you in. You didn’t actually kill him and, if you hadn’t noticed the drug and had been brought into the actual test, you wouldn’t have been killed if you’d failed.” He said nothing for a moment, his jaw working. Of all the things in his life, shooting that dog had been the most traumatic thing. “Granted, you don’t about the failsafe at the time. You believe you have to kill the dog.”

“Fucking Hell, Harry.”

“You… don’t have a dog. I never gave you one.”

“Why not?”

Harry just looked at him for a moment. “First off, I wanted this to be a secret as long as it could be. You suddenly showing up with a dog would have been an immediate tipoff. Second, there are certain ways _you_ cannot be pushed. You wouldn’t have done it, and I want you to have a test that you have a chance of passing.”

“So… do I get to know anything about it?”

Harry shook his head. “You’ll be briefed the day of.”

Eggsy nodded and sighed. “Alright. Is that all you wanted?”

Harry nodded. “Yes, you may go.”

“Well… I’ve got something.”

Harry raised his brow. “Oh?”

Eggsy nodded. “I wanna kill Charlie. And I figure. I ought to at least ask permission.”

Harry studied him. “Do you plan on obeying me if I refuse or is this just a formality?”

“Merlin tell you what I said?” he asked guiltily.

Harry nodded. “Don’t think ill of him for it, Eggsy. Merlin tells me anything that could affect our clan. But, you _were_ a bit emotionally compromised at the time. So, I ask again: do you plan on obeying me if I refuse?”

Eggsy didn’t answer for a moment. “You’re gonna refuse.”

“Yes, I am. Don’t mistake my reasons, Eggsy. I’d like to see both he and Poppy dead. But I have to act as the clan-father and not as a man. There are problems in this clan you only know the barest bits of.”

“Like our numbers being down.”

Harry nodded. “There are still problems with the faction that split off. They know too much and they have the information to backup their claims; we have the same on them. We’re at something of an impasse. If we go against another clan, _they_ will side with them.”

Eggsy frowned. “And if I go and kill Charlie, that’ll put us at odds with them and this splinter faction.”

“Exactly.” Harry shook his head. “If things were different, if there was a way I could be assured of this not being tied to you, I could give another answer.”

“I disappeared and then he ends up dead. It becomes pretty obvious who killed him, and where I actually am, even if I don’t get caught.” He sighed. “I’ll obey. I ain’t gonna risk everyone over this.”

Harry smiled. “Good man. Now, was there anything else?”

Eggsy shook his head. “No. I’m gonna go… shoot some targets or some fucking thing.” “He didn’t sound angry, just defeated and annoyed.

He tapped the edge of Harry’s desk in lieu of a ‘goodbye’ and left his office. He understood, he really did; that didn’t make it any less of a bitch. He thought about actually going and doing some target practice, but instead went down to Merlin’s office.

“Thought you might be on your way,” he said without turning toward Eggsy.

“Harry?”

Merlin chuckled. “If it helps, he wasn’t calling as Arthur.”

“Yeah. Guess it does.” He pulled a chair over to the desk. “You don’t mind…?”

“No,” he was typing and watching between three monitors. “I’m just fine-tuning some programming while waiting on a few check-ins. Once things start moving, I’ll have to kick you out.”

“So… you transmitting right now?”

“Just receiving. Why?”

A slow grin formed on Eggsy’s lips. “You know it’s just you ‘n’ me tonight, yeah? Harry and Tilde’re gonna go out.”

“I’m aware.”

His grin faltered. “You, me, alone, all night… and all you can say is ‘I’m aware’? I get that you and Harry were waiting on me, but fuck, I’m a bit more than ready.”

Merlin paused in his typing and sat back, finally looking at Eggsy. “I know. Part of it is that I’ve been training you.”

Eggsy raised his brow. “What? You think I’d try to pass on my back?”

“No. I think there are those in our ranks who _would_.”

“...oh.” He shook his head. “But all that’s left is the final test.”

“Right. And I don’t know what Harry has planned. I don’t know how much I’m to be involved with.”

He sighed. It was just not his day, was it? If he’d been born something _other_ than a fucking Omega, Merlin wouldn’t have to think about that. They could just. Be.

“Harry already has it planned,” Eggsy offered.

“And how do you know that?”

Eggsy grinned a little and shrugged. “He told me when about he was expecting it to be. So he’s gotta know what he’s planning.”

Merlin frowned. Harry hadn’t told him a _thing_ about this. He didn’t like feeling shut out of this. He was Harry’s right hand, for God’s sake. If Harry wasn’t telling _him_ , then it was something he didn’t want to risk _anyone_ finding out about, or overhearing. Merlin had known Harry was going to have to take a risk with Eggsy’s final test if the Omega was going to be an accepted member of Kingsman. But if being Merlin had taught him one thing, the more secretive Arthur was, the more dangerous were his plans. Merlin wanted to pick up the phone right then, call Harry’s line, and demand to know if what he was suspecting was accurate.

Candidates failed their tests all the time. Hell, there was record of one period where they had to do a second round because neither candidate was willing to shoot the dog. And if he was right, there _would_ be no room for failure. No safety net, no failsafe. If he was right, Harry was sending Eggsy on an actual mission, and failure would mean death.

A voice in his ear pulled at his attention and he turned back to the monitors. “Yeah, I have you. You’re clear.” He didn’t look away as he spoke again. “I have to kick you out now. Be in something nice when I get home.”

Eggsy stared at him for a second and then broke into a grin. The day was suddenly looking up. He left the office, assuming that Merlin had decided that since he’d been shutout that he wasn’t going to be involved at all. 

02

He didn’t get ready immediately after returning to the flat. Tilde was there already, and he spent the rest of the afternoon with her. Harry only returned home long enough to change, and then he and Tilde left on their date. Harry had a fucking highbrow date planned, taking her to the opera and dinner. But hey, Eggsy wasn’t too sure he would have liked it, and he couldn’t really see Merlin sitting through one; so it was a good thing for them.

Eggsy had been thinking about what would be ‘nice’ for Merlin when he got home. He’d thought, at first, about the suit Merlin had gotten him. It was dove grey and Merlin had gotten him a deep purple shirt to go with it. And while he really wanted an excuse to wear it, he didn’t think they were going out and, well, he wanted the first time he wore it to be when they were going out somewhere. It was probably silly, but… that’s how he felt about it.

Something nice… Something nice… He had more clothes now than he’d ever had in his life, but he didn’t have nearly as much as Harry or Merlin did. Still, he had nice things and things he thought were nice. Sometimes Merlin could be a little vaguer than he liked, but he had to admit that putting this much thought into just an outfit sorta revved up the excitement. 

And then he settled on what would be ‘nice’ to wear for Merlin, took a quick shower, and got himself ready before lounging on the couch to wait for him to get home. He didn’t have long to wait, and when Merlin walked in the room, Eggsy was wearing their necklace and a smile. Merlin paused, just for a beat, before continuing into the room, shaking his head.

“I should have expected as much.”

“You said be in something nice. The necklace _is_ something nice.”

He went over to the couch and leaned over Eggsy, putting one hand on the back of the couch and the other on the arm, essentially but not actually trapping him. “So I should just take you out like this, hm?”

Eggsy grinned and put his arms around Merlin’s neck. “ _Or_ we could stay in.”

He tugged a little and Merlin let himself be pulled down. He buried his face against the Omega’s neck and breathed in his unmasked scent. “Do you know how glad I am yeh keep that covered up most of the time?”

The words were almost a purr against his neck and Eggsy tipped his head to the side. “Why’s that?”

“It makes it hard to think about anything except fuckin’ yeh,” he growled.

Eggsy startled slightly and he felt Merlin tense. Harry and Tilde had both growled at him before - even Merlin had once or twice - but it had never sounded quite… like _that_ had. They’d both sounded… well, _sexual_. And the way Harry did it made him want to obey anything he said. Tilde’s had always come during moments of pleasure. Merlin...

Well, Merlin sounded aggressive, but not angry, and there was certainly a great deal of lust in it. He wasn’t sure if Merlin sounded more likely to tear him apart or fuck him, or maybe both at once. It was kinda frightening, thrilling… and it was arousing as Hell.

He looked up at Merlin, his eyes wide. “Merlin…” his voice was breathy. “Just in the spirit of total honesty here. You keep talking like that and you _don’t_ fuck me, we’re gonna have a problem.”

Merlin smirked down at him, and Eggsy shivered pleasantly. “Oh, I’m going to fuck yeh until you scream for me.”

Eggsy gave him a defiant look. “You _do_ know I can take a lot without screaming, yeah?”

“When someone’s _beating_ you, sure.” He bit Eggsy’s neck, just enough to hurt. “But what about when someone’s doing things you _like_?” He moved closer to the Omega’s jaw and bit him again, a bit harder this time. “Things you _want_?” He covered Eggsy’s mouth with his own, all but devouring him in the kiss. He bit Eggsy’s lip as they broke apart. “Things that make you _hot_?’

Eggsy shivered, fighting down the sounds that wanted to come. “I can take anything you can throw at me and not scream.”

Merlin’s brow rose at that. “Are you actually _challenging_ me?”

“I…”

“I don’t mean like that. Are you challenging me to make you scream?”

Eggsy considered for a moment and then nodded. “Yeah, I guess I am.”

“You _know_ I’ll do it.”

Eggsy shivered again. It was both threat and warning, and he wasn’t even going to try and deny to himself that it scared him to some extent. But he trusted Merlin. He knew he could back down and Merlin wouldn’t think less of him for it. He knew Merlin would push him, and that eventually he _would_ be screaming with the pleasure of it all.

And he knew if it got to be too much, Merlin would stop without question, without reprimand. He couldn’t put into words how much that little fact made him want Merlin all the more; that after a lifetime of having no choice, he _had_ that control. It made him willing to push himself and to _let_ himself be pushed.

“Then do it.”

“Under one condition.”

“Name it.”

“You let go,” he said, his voice dropping to something that was almost a command. “No holding back, no hiding anything. You feel something, you let it happen. You want to laugh, or cry, or cum… you _do_ it and you let me hear it.”

He was starting to breath harder. “How’m I supposed to not scream then?”

“The challenge was to make you scream, not for you to keep from doing it.”

Eggsy took a shaky breath and nodded a little. “Alright…”

Merlin stood up straight and pulled his jumper off, dropping it on the back of the couch. Eggsy watched him as he loosened his tie. He nodded toward the bedroom and Eggsy hopped up, following him toward it. Merlin’s movements were slow, almost painfully so for Eggsy, and he was stripped to the waist by the time they were at the bedroom door, a trail of discarded clothing behind them.

Eggsy waited, and impatiently, by the door. He knew Merlin was doing this on purpose, building up the anticipation for him, for them. And fucking Hell, was it working. He really just wanted to grab Merlin’s belt and finish stripping him. He bit his lip and then stepped over to Merlin and started unbuckling his belt. It got a low, rumbly chuckle from Merlin.

“I wondered if yeh’d do it.”

Eggsy grinned, trying not to laugh. “Well… you said…”

“I know what I said.”

He let Eggsy finish undressing him, leaving the rest of his clothing in a somewhat neat pile by the door. It amused Merlin that Eggsy had picked up Harry’s expectation of order when it came to clothes coming off but that he’d also taken less care than Harry would have expected. He waited until Eggsy was standing once more and motioned into the bedroom.

He went inside and felt Merlin’s hand on his neck, and then slip up into his hair, fingers tightening until Merlin’s grip was just this side of pleasurable. Eggsy let his head tip back toward Merlin, his eyes slipping shut. Merlin watched him for a moment. Eggy’s lips parted in pleasure, even as Merlin tightened his hold further, slowly pushing Eggsy over the line into pain until the Omega cried out from it.

He was pleased, _very_ pleased, that Eggsy hadn’t tried to hide that. He let go of Eggsy’s hair, his hand slipping around the Omega’s throat and holding him still. He bit his neck, just below the back of the jaw, and he bit _hard_. Eggsy’s reaction was immediate; he shrieked and braced himself against Merlin. He immediately let go and let his hand drop to Eggsy’s chest, and very tenderly and gently kissing where he’d bitten Eggsy.

“Nn.”

It was a breathy little whisper, but Merlin heard it and softly shushed Eggsy. “Don’t worry,” he whispered gently, reassuringly. “You’re safe. I’m not going to do it again.”

“Nn.” This time with a little shake of his head. He was still braced against Merlin, and it was hard to make the words work. How had one little action from the Alpha left him feeling so unable to talk, or to think? “No, that’s not,” he stammered. “I didn’t want you to stop. It hurt… but it was a good hurt, yeah? I’ll tell you… if I don’t like somethin’.”

“Good,” he said in a low, rumbly voice.

He bit Eggsy again, in the same spot but lighter this time on the already tender spot, and his hand returned to Eggsy’s neck. He slowly moved down Eggsy’s neck, biting him hard enough to make the Omega cry out in combined pleasure and pain. Eggsy was still bracing himself against Merlin, and every so often he’d tense up or his fingers would start to tighten on Merlin’s flesh and then he’d make himself stop.

Merlin stopped just before he got to where Eggsy’s neck met his shoulder. “I _can_ feel that, you realize. What is it you keep wanting to do?”

“Dig in,” Eggsy admitted, sounding both shy and guilty about it.

“So do it,” Merlin said, his voice dropping down into something that wasn’t quite a growl. He squeezed Eggsy’s neck lightly, just enough to let him feel pressure and just for a moment. “Don’t. Hold. Back.”

He bit down where Eggsy’s neck met his shoulder, and was pleased when he felt Eggsy’s nails, short as they were, digging into his flesh. Merlin sighed against Eggsy’s skin, getting a shiver from him. He let his hand drop from Eggsy’s neck again, this time slipping down to his chest, his stomach, and down to his hard and waiting cock.

“How ‘ready’ did you get before I got home?”

“Very,” he breathed.

“Oh? And how much fun did you have without me?”

He gave that hardness a not quite gentle squeeze. Eggsy went up onto his toes, arching against Merlin with a cry of mixed pain and pleasure. Eggsy tightened his grip, his nails breaking skin; he barely heard Merlin’s pained sigh from it.

“Fuuck,” he groaned against him. “Not a lot.”

“Get on the bed.”

He let go of Eggsy and the Omega took a shaky step away from him, and had to balance himself before going to the bed. Merlin chuckled at Eggsy’s drunken shuffle. Eggsy laid down, rolling onto his back, and Merlin just looked down at him with a wicked little grin for a few moments. 

One side of Eggsy’s neck was dark red and would be bruised by morning. He was shaking, enough so that Merlin could see easily see it, and breathing hard. He didn’t think it would take much at this point to finish Eggsy off.

“You know…” he said, getting on the bed and running his hands up the Omega’s legs. “...that I’m not going to be nearly as gentle with you as Harry or Tilde.”

He bent his legs, without any real conscious thought, at Merlin’s touch. He wanted to keep the Alpha’s hands on him. Somewhere. Anywhere.

“Got that impression a bit ago, yeah.”

Merlin pressed against him and in one quick, fluid movement was inside of him to the hilt. Eggsy whined with need and arched his back. Merlin took his wrists and leaned over him, pinning them to the bed, his grip tight enough to hurt. As promised, he wasn’t gentle as he fucked Eggsy, but the Omega wrapped his legs around Merlin and met each deliciously painful thrust. His cries were wordless exclamations of pleasure.

Merlin leaned down, and Eggsy tipped his head to the side, baring the untouched side of his neck. He bit down, and hard. Eggsy bucked beneath him, and the Omega’s legs tightened around him until Eggsy’s grip on him was painful. It wasn’t long before Merlin tasted blood, and Eggsy’s cries had become inarticulate yells that were just shy of screams. The combination was enough to push Merlin over the edge, and he slammed into Eggsy one last time, cuming deep inside of him. He released his grip on Eggsy’s neck and sucked on the bloody wound for a few moments before moving off of it and pulling away from him. But Eggsy was still straining below him, panting hard.

“You had better not be fucking done.”

Merlin smirked and held him in place. “You said we’d only have a problem if I didn’t fuck yeh. I did that.”

“You’re a fucking arse, you know that?” he laughed.

Merlin covered his mouth with a deep but gentle kiss and let go of Eggsy’s wrists. Eggsy, expecting him to be rough, was not prepared for this sudden shift and melted under him. His legs relaxed around Merlin and he whined as the Alpha moved away from his mouth. Merlin trailed his hands along Eggsy’s arms, his touches now feather-light, and it wasn’t long before Eggsy was shuddering all over.

Merlin kissed and caressed his way down Eggsy’s chest and over his stomach, the Omega whimpering with need all the while. His hands hadn’t moved from where Merlin had been holding him down, and it took everything in the Alpha not to laugh. Merlin had been so rough with him that the sudden switch had just overwhelmed him.

He moved lower and took Eggsy into his mouth. Eggsy sighed a moan, although it might have been a very slurred _fuck_. Merlin stayed very soft and gentle, and it didn’t take much to push the Omega over the edge. He took everything he was given and kissed Eggsy’s thigh after.

Merlin moved up to lay beside him, but he stopped and put a hand on Eggsy’s cheek. “Are you alright?”

Eggsy could hear the concern in Merlin’s voice, but he had no idea what was causing it. He was still shaking and he was starting to feel drifty, but after the way Merlin had fucked with him, was it any wonder?

“Yeah?”

Merlin was watching him, almost critically. Eggsy’s brain was in too much of a fog for it to make sense and he shook his head a little.

“Why…?”

“Yer crying.”

Eggsy laughed softly. “I am not.”

Merlin took his hand and put it on his cheek. Eggsy frowned slightly, feeling wetness there. Okay, so apparently he _was_ crying. He tried to sit up a bit, but gave up quickly and lay back.

“Are you sure you’re alright?”

He nodded a little. “I guess I... It... I don’t know why.”

“Did I push you too far?”

Eggsy shook his head. “No. I.” He held his arms out and Merlin settled in beside him, holding him close. “You went like fucking… night an’ day on me. And it was just so…”

“Intense?”

“Yeah.” He settled in against Merlin’s chest. “And then it was so soft and gentle and…” He sighed contentedly. “But ‘m alright. Promise. And I’m gonna fall asleep if we don’t move.”

Merlin kissed the top of his head. “Then sleep. After what I just did to you, yeh probably need it.”

03

Harry and Tilde got back well after midnight. The first thing Harry noticed was the jumper, and then he found the trail of clothing. He managed to not be irritated by it for once, and mainly because he’d expected to find that. Still, he picked the jumper up off of the couch, folded it nicely, and laid it over the back again.

Tilde watched him go through that, giggling quietly. There were so many of these little differences between them. So many Alphas were too stubborn to change, or to deal with such things long term. She had to wonder how things had even _happened_ between them, how they’d come together and decided that what they had was worth the hundred little annoyances. It wasn’t something she’d really had to think about much. She’d believed since the time she’d realized that she was an Omega that she would have to buy her mate.

“I do hope you enjoyed tonight,” Harry said, taking a seat on the couch.

She went over and joined him. “I did.”

It had been something she’d never really expected to have. He’d taken her nicely outside of his territory to a showing where neither of them would be known. It had been a bit nerve wracking, but she’d been able to drop her Alpha facade and just let him be in charge of her.

And he had taken such care of her, not unlike the way she’d seen him take care of Eggsy; he’d let her have what she wanted, and he left her feeling safe during it. He’d kept a hand on the small of her back as they’d been walking. At dinner, he’d ordered for them both and let her do all the little things most people expected an Omega to do at a meal. He didn’t demand anything from her; he just let her feel her way around being an Omega and do what felt right.

It had left her feeling very giddy, and very giggly.

“We will do it again?” she asked.

Harry smiled. “Of course. Although the next time opera is in the plans, I’d like to drag Eggsy with us.”

She laughed. “I think we might actually have to drag him.” She bit her lip. “You are going to kiss me goodnight?”

He found it endearing the way she would phrase something as a demand, but make it a question. He reached out and cupped her cheek, and brought her closer. He kissed her very gently at first, and then deepened it. And then she broke it, giggling.

Harry looked as if he wasn’t sure if he should be offended or not. “I admit, it’s been some years since I’ve kissed a woman, but it isn’t any different from kissing a man.”

“No, no, that’s not-” she broke off with another spat of giggling. “I’ve just never done anything with an Alpha. I mean… there was that other day. But that. That was different. I wasn’t doing something with _you_.”

“I see,” he said with a quiet chuckle. “There’s no need to be nervous, although I do understand why you are. I’m not going to do anything you don’t want.”

“Yes, I… I _know_ that, but…”

“But at the same time, this is something you’ve been afraid of all your life.” He stroked her cheek. “You weren’t mistreated and abused like Eggsy was, but that doesn’t mean you didn’t live in constant fear.”

She nodded a little. She felt guilty for her fear. Not because it existed, but because she hadn’t had the life that Eggsy had. But what Harry said made sense. She and Eggsy had both lived in constant fear. They’d both learned how to hide it behind a mask. They’d helped Eggsy learn how to take that mask off; she supposed it was her turn now. 

“Why don’t… you get some sleep?” Harry offered. “Eggsy’s likely in with Merlin, so you… would be alone.”

Tilde nodded and got up. She looked back at Harry. “Or… I could…” She shrugged.

Harry stood up and gently kissed her forehead. “Only if you want.”

She nodded and bit her lip. Harry stroked her cheek again and then went about picking up the rest of Merlin’s shed clothing. He didn’t press her, but he noticed her following him finally. She was being so adorably shy.

Merlin stirred when they came in the room. He looked at Harry, at Tilde, and then went back to sleep. Eggsy, on the other hand, was out. His head was on Merlin’s chest and he was sprawled, taking up half of the bed.

She giggled, got undressed, and got in the bed beside him. She nudged him, and he whined in his sleep, but he moved. She managed to get him up against Merlin and she held onto him from behind. She nuzzled his neck, getting another sleepy sound from him and settled against him. She felt Harry get in beside her. He put a hand on her side, but otherwise kept space between them. She fell asleep, still feeling a bit giddy, still feeling a bit nervous, but feeling safe.

04

Eggsy spent most of the next two weeks (although it ended up being more like 15 days) flying. Between his three Alphas, he ended up well-bruised, well-fucked, and well-loved. And it gave him no small amount of joy to watch Harry and Tilde sort of feel around each other. Now, in a few days, he’d be an agent. All he had to do was pass one last test.

He was waiting in Harry’s office and trying to not be impatient. He’d been told to come down at 1:00, and it was 1:15. When the door finally opened, it wasn’t _just_ Harry; Roxy and Merlin were with him. He looked between the three of them before laughing nervously.

“You ain’t gonna tell me to shoot one of them, are you?”

Harry offered a wan smile. “You might end up wishing I had asked you to do that.” He motioned to the chairs and then sat himself. “I informed Merlin of what would be happening just before we came down here.”

And _that_ had been a fun conversation, full of Gaelic obscenities - a few of which, Harry wasn’t certain he’d ever heard Merlin use before. He knew his mate was still furious; at being shut out of this, at what Harry was planning, at having his own role in this sprung on him like this.

“If I can have both of your attention,” Merlin said cooly. He was trying to be professional about this. Trying.

He pulled up a series of images: buildings, people, a couple maps. He had hard copies printed out and a dossier made up for Roxy and one for Eggsy. “You will be accompanying Galahad on a mission. Arthur has had Galahad secretly forming a relationship with part of our splinter faction. Tomorrow, she’s leaving us for them, and she’s taking her slave with her.”

Eggsy nodded. He’d been, well, expecting that he’d be used as an Omega on missions. That was part of him being an agent, after all; the idea that an Omega could be better at infiltrating than a Beta.

“While they’re showing her around, you’re going to break into their network. I have a directory listing that should be accurate, or close enough. You won’t be able to keep a set of glasses on you; they’ll know them. We have a few experimental devices, but nothing that would be easy to pass off on an Omega. You’ll be completely on your own.”

“I hope your listing’s accurate then. What if it ain’t? What’m I even looking for?”

“You’re going after whatever information they still have on us. Copy it, and wipe the drive. And then get back out to where you were ‘left’ and wait for Roxy.”

“Why bother copying it? Why not just wipe the drive and be done with it?”

“We don’t know what, exactly, they made off with. They burned the hard copies.” Harry sighed. “It’s part of why I’ve been going through Chester’s files so slowly. Any information Chester had on what was in those files is gone. I’d hoped to find _something_.”

Eggsy sat back and eyed Roxy for a moment. “So. What’s her Omega like?”

“Broken down, beaten.”

Eggsy nodded. “Eyes down, silent, jumps when she says frog?”

“Yes.”

“I can do that.”

Harry handed a package to Eggsy. It was small, and Eggsy knew without being told there was a medallion in it with Roxy’s name on it. He had to force himself to not snarl at it as he opened it. He took the chain out and put it on, and then took his necklace off. It _hurt_ to do that.

“Harry, you… wanna keep this for me?”

Harry nodded and took it from him. “Merlin’s going to take you down to medical. We need you to…”

Eggsy chuckled mirthlessly. “Look the part of a beaten Omega?” He got up, turned to go, and then stopped. “One problem, Arthur.”

“Oh?”

“Well. Merlin’s bigger than Galahad. I’m guessin’ Merlin’s gotta, you know, slap me around a bit? Any marks he leaves…” He shrugged. “Yeah, they might not pay enough attention to notice that, but… if they ain’t sure about her…”

Roxy looked at Eggsy uncertainly. “He might be right. I should be the one to do it.”

Harry and Merlin exchanged a look and Eggsy shook his head before either of them could say anything. He could see that neither of them liked this idea, but he knew it was the best option. 

“You know what, we’re just gonna go do it. I’ll be home after master here’s beaten the fuck out of me.” He nodded toward the door and left with her, not giving Harry or Merlin the chance to say otherwise. 

She didn’t say anything until they were in the lift. “You aren’t bothered by this?”

He shrugged. “It’s what I signed up for, yeah?”

“That’s _hardly_ the same thing.”

He looked over at her. “If I say I’m bothered by it, will it make it easier for you?”

“What?” She laughed disbelievingly.

“How many times in your life have you beaten someone?”

“That’s… That’s not the point.”

Eggsy nodded. “Sure it is. Sometimes shit that bothers us is part of the job, yeah?”

“So it _does_ bother you?”

The lift came to a stop and Eggsy held up the medallion.

“This bothers me a lot more than getting a beating.”

She followed him to medical. He hadn’t been wrong that she’d wanted it to be easier, or that she’d never just beaten an Omega. She’d learned to seduce and murder as need be. She’d shot her dog ( _blanks, they’d been blanks_ ) for this job. If she had to, she was fairly certain she could torture a mark. But her mind refused to let her emotionally detach from this. She was friends with his three Alphas, and they were friendly. As they stepped into medical, she took a breath and forced her feelings down. If she could jump out of an airplane, she could beat someone who’d done her no wrong.

The doctor on shift had been expecting them and he brought them into a back room. He looked no more pleased about this than Roxy felt. He waved Eggsy over.

“You arm, please.”

Eggsy rolled up his sleeve and let the doctor have his arm. “Isn’t she just… gonna lay into me?”

The doctor shook his head. “We need to be assured of lasting marks. I’m going to inject you with a… somewhat experimental compound. You’ll have to give it a few minutes after injection to work through your circulatory system, but it should... “ He sighed irritably. “It should allow you to be marked more easily and clearly than you would be just with a single beating or, say, taking a blood thinner. It does have the potential side effect which acts similar to haemophilia, but that should pass within four hours.”

He looked over at Roxy while the doctor put a tourniquet on him. “Cutting me’s off the table then.” He winked at her.

“Tragic,” she said dryly, although she _did_ appreciate this attempt at humor.

The doctor injected Eggsy and kept an eye on him for a couple minutes. When Eggsy didn’t react badly to the compound, he nodded and backed away. “I’ll be just in the other room. If you need me, come get it. If you _think_ you need me, come get me.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.” He waited for the doctor to leave before turning his attention to Roxy entirely. “You want my shirt off?”

“I…”

He chuckled and took it off. “It’s alright, really.” He could see her hesitation. “Alright, look, close your eyes.”

“What?”

“Close your eyes.” He waited for her to do that. “Now I want you to think of someone you really hate. Like you’d just love to punch that fuck in the face, stomp them, whatever. Get them good and solid in your mind. Think about things they’d done or said or whatever.”

“You want me to pretend you’re them.”

“It’ll work.” He gave her a minute to think before saying anything else. “What’s something they used to say to you? Something that really just… pushed every button you have?”

“He.” She sighed and opened her eyes. “He used to call me ‘little girl’, and it was always in this… patronizing, condescending-”

“Well, that’s cos you _are_ a little girl,” Eggsy said, cutting her off. He saw her eyes widen and her hand twitch. And then he grinned. “See? You can do it. Just pretend I’m him.”

She nodded and struck him. His head rocked back from the force of it and she winced.

“Fucking Hell,” he said, shaking his head. “That all you got in you, little girl?”

It certainly made it easier for her to hit him. Every time he was ready for her to hit him again, or punch him, or whatever, he’d call her that. She’d feel the pain and the humiliation all over again, and she’d put it into the strike. By the time he held up a hand to let her know he’d had enough, he had darkly forming bruises all over. Certainly enough to pass for someone who was beaten often.

“See? Knew you could do it.”

He could see she was struggling to keep herself together. He knew how to push people, although he had normally reserved that for when he knew he was getting a beating anyway and it didn’t matter. It wasn’t something he generally used the way he had now.

He took her by the hand and had her sit on the floor with him. “Come here.” He pulled her to him and held onto her. “No one can see.”

She let herself cry against him, and it wasn’t long before her crying turned into sobbing. He held onto her, gently stroking her hair and just letting her let it out. It was some time before she calmed.

“This could be a new therapy program,” he said. “I can charge hundreds for an hour of my saying horrid shit to people, they can beat on me, and then I can hold them for a bit.”

She laughed weakly. “I’ll be your first reviewer.”

He chuckled. “It’s a good job for your first beating.”

She sighed. “Just don’t do something to make me _have_ to do it more tomorrow, alright?”

“Hey, I’m broken and afraid of you, remember? I’m gonna be on my best, broke behavior.”

05

Eggsy dressed in layers for the mission. For one thing, it helped him hide the tools he was bringing with him. For another, it helped give the impression of someone who expected to be beaten often. He made sure the three shirts he wore didn’t line up exactly perfectly, so that someone looking for it would be able to tell they were there. He kept the medallion over his outermost shirt.

Once he and Roxy left the manor house, Eggsy took several deep breaths and then bowed his head, letting his shoulders fall and trying to make himself look smaller than he was. He knew how to play broken; Hell, he’d nearly _been_ broken. 

“Do you want me to call you master if I’m expected to speak?”

Roxy felt herself wanting to recoil. She had never heard him speak sounding broken. He was so quiet, with none of the impudence that he just exuded. The worst part of it was that she could actually smell the fear on him. Was this what he’d been like when Tilde had bought him? How had he even come back from a place like that?

She pushed her feelings down. She was supposed to be colder, someone who wasn’t bothered by this. “Yes.”

“Alright.”

When they arrived at the splinter faction’s building, he got out behind her. He kept his head down. His arms were partly crossed over his chest, as if he felt the need to protect himself even now. It wasn’t even entirely an act. Once he’d put himself back into that mindset, back into the place he’d been when he’d belonged to Dean and to Charlie, it just came back. But he knew that was good for the mission, and that when he got home, his Alphas would pamper and love him and help him feel better.

Roxy was greeted at the door by one of the Betas. They hugged and joked, although Eggsy paid little attention to the words. He needed to keep to his act and he expected that there would be comments made about himself, about Harry, about things that would make him break character. But he was paying enough attention to notice when their attention was turned to him.

“Do you want that coming along while I show you around?”

Roxy looked at Eggsy, and he shrank away without moving back from her. “No. Where can I put it so it isn’t in the way?”

He led them to a side room and Roxy pointed at a spot on the floor. He went over and knelt.

“If you’ve even moved…” She turned to the Beta. “So… you were going to show me around?”

Eggsy waited until they were gone and slowly counted to ten before creeping out of the room. He’d memorized the layout as best he could and crept to where Merlin had believed the computers and information were kept. Merlin had expected an alarm on the door, and he hadn’t been wrong. Eggsy slid his hand inside his jeans, to the pair beneath and got a scrambler out of the pocket. In just a few seconds, the alarm shut down and Eggsy was inside.

He plugged the drive into a port and started searching for the directory Merlin had him looking for. He found it, and easily, and started copying it. It was going to take a couple minutes, and he looked around. There were security monitors in the room, and he was watching Roxy pass from camera to camera.

At least he could keep an eye on her.

When it finished copying, he erased it and had it wipe the section. But he didn’t like it. It seemed too easy. If this was something important, something that Merlin could easily figure out an exact location of, wouldn’t they, well, make it a dummy?

He looked back at the monitors and took a chance. He started searching for similar files and found a second directory whose contents looked almost identical to what Merlin had sent him after. There was a lot more in it, but he set it to copy the entire thing. It was nearly finished when he heard someone on an in-house transmission. 

“She’s nearly there. We’ll signal you when we grab her. You grab her slave.”

“Copy.”

Eggsy felt his stomach sink. Roxy was walking into a trap. He kept an eye on the monitors as the files copied. He started quietly urging the files to move faster. He didn’t think she was very far from the trap when the files finished. He pulled the drive out, slipped it in his sleeve, and set the drive to wipe.

He went out of the security room and took the scrambler off the alarm, pocketing it. It felt as if it took forever for the alarm to reset and he pushed the door open again. Instantly, he heard the alarm sounding. A computerized voice even read off the location of the alarm. Eggsy gave himself a 5-count and sprinted toward the room he’d been left in.

He was nearly at the door when a hand clamped on his arm and yanked him back. He let out a weak and terrified little mewl and he was being dragged away. It wasn’t until the Beta showing Roxy around came into the room, and with Roxy, that he felt any sense of relief. He was thrown at her and he could tell she was furious. If she actually thought he’d blown the mission, all the better.

She crouched beside him and yanked him up by his hair. He bent his wrist so the drive popped into his hand, grabbed onto her, and slipped it into her pocket.

“What. Do you think you’re doing?”

“I’m sorry, master,” he whined.

“Are you trying to run again?”

“No! No, I was just… I…”

The Beta snapped his fingers and the one who’d grabbed Eggsy disappeared long enough to bring Roxy a cane. It was thin and made of steel. Eggsy’s eyes widened at it. He’d been beaten enough to know that was going to hurt like a bitch. He was just glad he’d worn layers.

“Get up,” she snapped.

He stood, shivering and looking as if he was doing everything to shrink back from her without moving.

“Your back.”

He turned and rolled his shoulders forward. He waited for the first strike when he heard the Beta chuckle.

“You know he’s wearing more than one shirt, don’t you?”

“What?” Roxy shook her head. She hadn’t noticed.

“Here,” he said in a low, silky voice. He took a folding knife out of his pocket and cut Eggsy’s shirts down the back. “Mm, mm, mm. Look at that scarring. Clearly, you’re not beating him enough.”

“Clearly,” she agreed.

She struck Eggsy, and the welt was bright red. Eggsy screamed, and she could see in several places that the strike had been hard enough to break skin. It turned her stomach to do it, no matter how angry she was that he blew the mission, but she knew she had to keep going.

She struck him again and again. She wasn’t sure how many hits would be considered appropriate, given the situation and his scarring. But Eggsy, who’d started crying at some point and she just hadn’t noticed, collapsed to his knees. She really hoped it was intentional; that he’d done it to let her know she was good.

She offered the Beta a smile and handed him the bloodied cane. “I’m so sorry it caused you trouble. I hope he didn’t do… anything.”

“The alarm would have triggered when he opened the door. He couldn’t have done anything.”

She sighed. “I suppose we’ll have to postpone the rest of this. He needs… a very serious punishing, and I just didn’t bring what I need with me.”

He nodded. “I understand that. Perhaps next week we can finish this?”

“I think that would be perfect.” She looked down at Eggsy. “Get up.”

He struggled to his feet, and she realized he wasn’t acting. She’d really… driven him to his knees. She felt sick, but refused to let it show. He followed her out, and she could hear how shallowly he was breathing. They went to wait for the car to pull around, and Eggsy stayed behind and to her side.

“Don’t break character,” he whispered.

“What’s wrong?” she asked without turning around.

“It was a trap. I got everything… but I had to keep you safe.”

She felt herself pale. “Wait, you… you did that for me?”

“What else was I gonna do? You needed me.”

A van pulled into the spot the car was supposed to and Roxy turned a glare on it. She went over to the door and motioned for them to put the window down.

“What the fuck? I’m waiting on my car and you’re in my way.”

The driver shrugged and shook his head, acting like he didn’t understand her. She sighed in exasperation and pointed at him and pointed at the road. 

“Sorry, lady. Got delivery,” he said in a very thick accent.

“No delivery,” she snapped.

She realized all too late that it was a distraction. She heard the rushing steps behind her too late to turn and felt two bodies slam into her, throwing her against a parked car and pinning her. Even as she was being moved, she heard the side door on the van opening and looked over her shoulder. Two others from inside had Eggsy and were throwing him toward the people inside the van. He was barely inside before they took off, the door slamming once they had him.

“Tell Harry thanks for sending him. We weren’t sure he had the audacity to, but now we’ve got a powerful ally, and you? You don’t even have what you came for.”

The let go of her and backed away; they were laughing as they went back into the building. She wanted to fight them, to kill them all. But she was one, unarmed Beta. Shaking, she got into the car that the van had so perfectly blocked and had the driver take her home. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the drive. She knew Harry would authorize a mission to go after Eggsy, and she was going on it whether he let her or not.

She had to.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roxy returns home after a mostly successful mission.  
> And Eggsy gets to have some 'quality time' with Poppy.

01

Roxy was out of the car before it even stopped, running to the building and to the lift. It was the slowest ride of her life, and she rushed out before the doors had finished opening. She got into Harry’s office; both he and Merlin were waiting, and they were both on alert at seeing her and _only_ her.

“Eggsy. He got it. It was a trap. He. We have to go after him.”

She was frantic, and she saw Harry pale. Merlin put a hand on her arm and guided her to a chair. She wanted to fight him, to make them see they had to go _now_ , but she let him move her.

“Slow down, Galahad. What happened?”

She pressed the drive into Merlin’s hand. “Eggsy. He got.” She took a few breaths. “He got the information, but he saw that it was a trap. I don’t. I don’t know what he saw, but he figured it out and we needed to get out. So he triggered the alarm. I thought… I thought he’d blown the mission. He planted that on me without my even realizing. And then…” She trailed off, looking pained, and she turned away from them.

“They would have expected you to punish him,” Harry said, his voice flat.

She nodded. “They cut his shirts so he wouldn’t have… that padding. So I…”

“Did what you had to,” Merlin filled in for her.

“I didn’t know how much I should do. So. I waited for him to show me. He went down to his knees and I thought… I didn’t realize he…”

“It’s alright, Galahad.”

“When we got outside, he told me that we’d been compromised; but they’d planned a distraction, too. They knew. _She_ knew. And they suspected you’d send Eggsy. They grabbed him.” She paused, taking a breath and trying to keep her voice from shaking as she continued. “And they told me to _thank_ you for sending him because now they’ve got a powerful ally.”

Harry let out a weak and pained sound. Of all the ways he’d thought this could go, all the ways the mission could fail, he hadn’t thought about this. “Fuck,” he snarled, bringing his fist down on the desk.

“I’m going on the mission to get him back, and I’m _not_ asking.”

Harry looked away from her and Merlin both. “There isn’t going to be a mission.”

“What the fuck do you mean?” she snarled, getting to her feet.

“Galahad,” Merlin started. “We have to know what Eggsy brought back first. With Golden Circle as their ally, they’re too powerful to challenge. We can’t-”

“Risk the entire clan over one person,” Roxy finished numbly.

Harry got up and went to the window. “I should have thought...”

“ _I_ didn’t even think of it, Harry. And that’s part of my fuckin’ job.”

“You didn’t know until yesterday.”

“I knew two weeks ago you were sending him on a mission. It never even entered my mind.”

Harry looked over his shoulder at Merlin. “How did you…”

“It was the only thing that made sense.”

Harry nodded and was silent for several minutes. “Merlin, I want you to go through that fucking information with a fine-toothed comb. Find me something, _anything_ , I can use against them. If we can take them out of the equation, we might be able to get him back.”

Merlin nodded. “I’ll go now. Do you want me to talk to Michelle and Lee?”

Harry shook his head. “I sent him. I missed this and Eggsy paid for it. I’ll talk to them.”

“I’ll go with Merlin,” Roxy offered. “It’ll go faster with two of us.”

They left Harry alone with his guilt and with his fear. When he thought he could, he called Lee and told him to come to his office. He didn’t say why, but he knew Lee was aware that Eggsy’s last test was today. He would be coming, expecting to hear if Eggsy had passed his test, and Harry would have to tell him that the very people they’d gotten Eggsy back from… had taken him again.

02

Eggsy hadn’t been aware of being drugged until he came to. His head was wrapped in fog and it took him far too long to realize what had happened. His back ached from where Roxy had beaten him. But that wasn’t all that hurt. He shook his head several times, trying to clear it, before he figured it out.

He was on his knees, naked, and on a concrete floor. His wrists were shackled, the chains attached somewhere behind him so that his arms were pulled back and away. He could feel bands over his ankles and just behind his knees, trapping him on his knees. He could feel a metal collar around his neck, the slack of the chain on his chest.

He looked around at what he could see of the room. It was dimly lit, but he could smell pain, and blood, and fear. But that wasn’t the worst part, that wasn’t what made him whine low in his throat. _Her_ scent was strong in the room. This was _her_ place.

“I wondered when you’d wake up,” came her all too cheerful voice somewhere behind him.

The slack in the chain vanished and Eggsy had to sit up on his knees and hold his head as high as he could to keep from strangling. He realized he was shuddering, but he wasn’t surprised by the realization. This was the place he had feared more than any other. This was the place you never came back from.

“Mother,” he whined. “Please. I can. I can be good.”

She laughed and he heard her footsteps coming toward him. He screamed when the strike came. He didn’t know what she had hit him with, but it was hard and it was thin, and he felt wet warmth on his back.

“You can be good,” she said slowly. She struck him again, in the same spot, cutting him deeper. “I’m supposed to believe you won’t run away again?”

“I won’t,” he promised. He knew it was a lie, but he was willing to promise her anything to get out of this place.

“No, you won’t,” she agreed. “Dead Omegas don’t run.”

He let out a shuddery breath. He didn’t want to die by her hand. He wanted something faster, something that wouldn’t drag on until she was bored with it. It rose in him to start begging her again, but he bit it down. He knew she meant it; he was going to die down here.

She struck him again, and again, and again until he was sobbing. It didn’t take long, not after the beating Roxy had been forced to give him. He felt light headed from it and it was all he could do to keep conscious. Although part of him wanted to give in, and just let himself pass out. With the collar chained the way it was, he’d strangle on it; strangling while unconscious would be a better end than she had planned for him.

“You know,” she said pleasantly as he heard her walk away from him. “I think you mean it. That you can be good and not run.” She went back to him and he could feel the baking heat of something she’d left just beside him and out of sight. She crouched in front of him. “Would you like to go back home?”

“Yes,” he whispered.

“Hmm. You realize by ‘home’ I mean with your master.”

Eggsy recoiled, looking up at her in fear. “What?”

“Mmhmm. I mean, you’re his property. And he _doesn’t_ want to kill you.” She smiled cheerfully. “Although, he did say that if you go back, you’re going in the closet for a month. And then the real fun begins!”

Eggsy moaned in terror and shook his head.

“Then say, ‘Mother, I want to stay here with you’.”

Eggsy choked back a whimper. “Mother, I want… I want to stay here with you.”

She laughed cheerfully. “Good! I even have a present for you now!”

She brought her ‘present’ forward so he could see it. It took him a minute to put together what she had, and when he did, he whined. It was a heated container of molten gold attached to a tattoo gun. 

“This is going to hurt just a little!”

He screamed as soon as he felt the gold touch his skin. She drew a circle on his chest, centering it on his sternum so he would have a permanent medallion. He passed out from the pain before she was done. She pat him on the head after and went over to release the chain on his neck so he wouldn’t die just yet. She gathered up his ‘present’ and left him, sing-songing a ‘nighty-night’ as she left.

He didn’t know how long he’d been out for or how long it was until she came back; bound and in pain, time had already started to lose meaning. But eventually he heard her on the steps and he choked back his feelings. It wouldn’t matter for long, and he knew it.

She went over to him and leaned down. She put a glass of water to his lips and held it while he drank. When the glass was empty, she straightened up, and asked the question that would signal the start of every session:

“Do you want to go home, or do you want to stay here with me?”

He shuddered. “I want to stay here with you…”

03

Merlin and Roxy worked upwards of sixteen hours a day, going through all the files Eggsy had gotten them. He’d been right about the dummied directory, but Roxy still went through it, just in case. Because she couldn’t afford to miss something again. But the files were completely useless.

They took turns sleeping in the office, and Harry brought them food every eight hours. He wasn’t sleeping any more - or any better - than they were. Harry had lingered the first time until Merlin had told him to get out. There wasn’t anything Harry really could do, aside from watch them and wait.

It took the better part of four days before Merlin, his eyes glazing over at the endless blocks of text, realized he’d seen _something_ and snapped to attention. He couldn’t have said what he’d even read the last half dozen pages or so, but something had finally gotten through the exhaustion. He scrolled back up several pages and started reading again.

“Fuck me,” he whispered.

“What?”

“Go get Harry. Now.”

Roxy didn’t ask what he’d found, she just took off running.

04

She was back again, and he waited for her question to come and for her to pull him up so he was nearly strangling. He knew he was going to break before he died. He thought it was what she was waiting for. Twelve years of beatings, of rapes, of everything that had been thrown at him hadn’t broken him, but fuck, he was praying that he’d break. Just so it would be over.

She went over to him and he felt her pulling the chain up from above him, instead of where the chain was anchored. He felt slack hit him and she brought it in front of him, pulling him forward and down until his arms screamed and he felt his chest tightening from the position. He whined from how the metal bit against the underside of his jaw and he heard her snap the chain on something, holding him in this painful and stretched position. 

She was humming when she finished and she left him alone like that, for several hours. He had found it hard to breathe in the position she’d locked him in, and it was really all he could focus on. He heard her come back, and only had the barest hope that she would just let him sit back up. She said nothing when she returned; she just joined him and sat on the floor by him. He could see her crossed legs and nothing more of her.

“Well, I suppose I don’t even have to ask. We’ve been having so much fun, but… I think it’d be rude if I didn’t take your wants into account. Do you want to stay here and keep having fun… or go home to your master?”

“I want… to stay here with you,” he whispered. His voice was hoarse from constant screaming. 

“Oh, good! Do you know about the staples of a good sleep over? No, you wouldn’t, would you? Well, you’re supposed to do each other’s hair. You’re a little, mm, tied up so you can’t do mine. But I can do yours~!”

She grazed his back with a straight razor, just hard enough to let him know what she had. He closed his eyes as she started shaving away his hair. He felt himself crying, but he couldn’t bring himself to stop it. She was taking what little he had left away from him, and he knew it. But that didn’t stop it from hurting, from making him feel like she was slowly erasing who he was.

“Oh, look how cute you are now,” she chirped at him when she had finished. “You know, I had a look at your tattoo when I was repositioning you. It looks infected. That’s too bad, really. Oh well, you’ll live.” She laughed. “Well, you won’t live, but you won’t die from _that_.”

She swept up his hair, humming all the while. “I think I’m going to send this to Harry. Maybe with a little ‘thank you’ note. I’m kind of surprised he hasn’t come after you.” She paused thoughtfully. Her voice had a much more serious note when she continued. “I really am. I haven’t heard from them, they haven’t so much as sent someone to spy on us. I really thought he’d come a-runnin’. I mean… I’m not wrong about him taking you as a mate, am I?”

“No,” he whispered.

“You’ve been here for almost a week now,” her tone had dropped into something colder. “Can you imagine that? Did he ever say he loved you? Did he?”

“Yes…”

“And yet he’s left you here. I mean, I _realize_ on just the numbers, we have more people. But he _loves_ you, and you don’t just abandon someone you love. Not when you know - well, he _has_ to know - that they’re just going to torture your loved one and kill them.”

Eggsy choked back a sob. Her words hurt him deeper than the torture. Because he’d thought about that. He’d been in an out of consciousness too many times to have a real feel for how long she’d had him, but he knew it had to have been days.

“Well, I guess that’s just proof that no Alpha ever _really_ loves an Omega.” She crouched in front of him, gently petting his shorn head. “Tell me honestly and I’ll leave you alone for the rest of the day: do you think he loves you the way he loves his other mate? Do you think he would have come for _him_ before now?”

He didn’t want to answer her, and he couldn’t hold the pain back any longer. She wiped away his tears, touching him gently for once. He wanted to pull away from her but he couldn’t. He could feel himself wanting to react to that gentleness, and he tried to push the reaction away. Because he knew it wasn’t real; he knew she was just fucking with him.

“Tell me, pup,” she pressed. “Do you think he would have come for his other mate by now?”

“Yes,” he admitted, his voice shaking.

“Then you know he doesn’t really love you, not like you wanted him to.”

“I…”

He shook his head, with what little movement he could do. He couldn’t say that. He couldn’t believe that. It couldn’t be true. But, fuck, why hadn’t they tried to get him back? If he could think clearly, maybe he could have figured it out. But constant torture and a lack of sleep weren’t conducive to critical thinking.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to say it.” She kissed the top of his head. “You were very good, and I promised to leave you alone for the rest of the day.” She hopped up. “Of course, I didn’t promise to let you up, but… mmm… in the morning, I will.”

She left him alone to dwell on the words she’d said, and what she’d made him admit. She actually _was_ surprised no one from Kingsman had made a move yet. But she didn’t believe that Harry was going to just let her keep his prize, not when he’d taken her property as a mate. She had her people watching, and waiting. If she could destroy Eggsy before Harry made his move, if she could utterly and completely break him before then, she would happily give him back. That would leave a more painful and more lasting impression than a corpse.

05

Harry had read over what Merlin found. He’d barely finished it when he sent out a summons to every active agent in the city. He didn’t want to wait until 8 a.m., but he knew most of them would be asleep and wouldn’t see the summons until morning. He was in the conference room by 7:00, and he was surprised that everyone else had either arrived or was transmitting in by 7:45.

“I’m sure most of you suspect by now that I’ve been training an Omega. The rumors were, indeed, true. In lieu of a final test, he was sent on a mission.”

He paused and he waited for the comments. Whether he realized it or not, the fact that he’d sent Eggsy on a mission had gotten around already. And so had the fact that said Omega not only completed the mission, but he didn’t return from it. Even those agents who didn’t agree with allowing an Omega in Kingsman weren’t going to comment on it, both out of respect for Harry and for a fallen agent. There were lines you just didn’t cross.

“We,” he stopped. “ _I_ sent him to get our information back from those who left when I took over this clan. He obtained the files we sent him for, along with others he must have suspected could be important.” Harry paused. “Suffice it to say that information I sent him after was not there. Merlin and Galahad have been working tirelessly to learn whether or not the extra files held anything of value for us.” He nodded to Merlin.

“Gentlemen.” Merlin brought up some information on the display mirror. “This is a list of addresses and personnel numbers. We even have listings for their safe houses. Eggsy brought us everything we need to launch a decisive attack against them. We don’t need our information back, not if we destroy them and end the conflict that way.”

“A squad will be sent to each location. I’d prefer it if you spared what Omegas you’re able to, but questions will not be asked if you, for whatever reason, do not. I want none of the traitors to survive this, however.” He paused. He considered pointing out to them that they weren’t to kill children, but… he knew he didn’t need to point that out to his own people. “Questions?”

“Arthur, I have... “ Galahad paused and stood. “I don’t believe I should be on this mission, sir, as much as I would… really like to be. I’m emotionally compromised, and I know it. I’m a liability to whatever team I’m on.”

Harry said nothing for several long moments, but then he sighed and nodded. “You’re excused from the mission, Galahad. Anyone else?” He gave them a moment to speak, and when no one did, he continued. “Gawain, Lancelot, Percival, Kay, and I will be leading squads; Merlin will be coordinating from here. We are doing this in two days.”

The meeting broke up, the five leaders getting their dossiers from Merlin and collecting their people. They were all trained, and they had all been in the program longer than Galahad had been. It was just a matter of everyone learning the layouts and their positions. 

Galahad made her way out of the conference room once the meeting had broken up. She knew they’d be leaving under the cover of darkness. It would be sometime in the early morning the day of. She assumed it would be no later than 4 a.m., and that was fine.

She took the lift up to the house proper and headed to one of the flats. She knocked once and let herself inside. Michelle and Tilde were both waiting for her. She had been messaging them both while waiting for the meeting, and the three of them had come up with a plan.

“How’d it go?”

“He didn’t even question it. They’re going on the attack, and I’m staying here.” Roxy paused. “It’s in two days. I assume they’ll be geared up and ready to move out by 0300. No one will be paying attention to the armory after that. I can slip in and get what we need.”

Tilde shook her head. “How am I supposed to just… stay behind for this?”

Michelle put a hand on her arm. “You’re next in line to lead your clan. We _can’t_ risk you like that. It’s probably going to get ugly and…”

“And Harry’s going to hit the roof as it is,” Roxy finished for her. “Really, I’d feel better going alone.”

“You need someone, and I know how to get through Poppy’s building without being seen.”

“Alright. Lee won’t find it strange that you’re up so early?”

Michelle shook her head and shrugged. “I haven’t been sleeping.”

“Good. Then we’ll head out after they’re gone, and we’ll bring Eggsy back.”

06

He hadn’t really slept. Between the pain of being pulled the way he was and how difficult it made breathing, it just hadn’t been an option. And Poppy’s words had circled around and around in his head the entire time. He’d started to wonder if maybe, just maybe, he hadn’t gotten the information Harry wanted. Or maybe Roxy had been taken, too, and Harry was just assuming he was with her.

But everytime he argued one of those with himself, some little part of his mind whispered that Harry had given up on him, or decided he was too much trouble, or just didn’t care.

He heard her coming and he felt a mix of fear and relief. She’d said she would let him up in the morning, and that had to be why she was back. He felt the tension on his neck lessen and she pushed him up by the shoulders so he could settle back on his knees. He closed his eyes, and just breathed deeply.

“Look what I brought with me!”

He assumed she just had another glass of water with her. It was what she’d been bringing. And she hadn’t asked if he wanted to go home yet, so whatever she was giving him was still safe enough. When he looked at her, he saw the water, yes, but she had a sealed plastic bag in her other hand. The bag had a sandwich in it. He could feel himself shaking. It was the first time she’d brought him food. 

“Natural peanut butter and no-sugar-added jelly. Looks yummy, doesn’t it.”

“Yes.”

She sat on the floor and held the water for him to drink. His eyes never left the bag, though. She set the glass aside and opened the bag. He sighed a whine at the smell of the sandwich. She reached into the bag, tore a piece off, and then popped it into her own mouth.

“Mm. It’s just as good as it looks, too.” She reached into the bag again, stopped, and then looked at him. “Oh, you must be _starving_. Wow, that’s so very rude of me.” She tore a piece of the sandwich off and held it out to him… and then pulled it back. “I don’t want to point fingers here, but you were kind of rude first.”

“...what?”

“Mm-hmm, yeah. Not that I didn’t appreciate the irony of you locking Charlie in his closet, but that _was_ a bit rude.” She popped the bit of sandwich into her mouth and ate it. “And I don’t think I’ve heard you apologize for it.”

“I’m sorry.” It was out of his mouth before he even thought about it.

“Mm, you know, I don’t really believe you. So I think maybe you should _earn_ this.” She paused. “That is, unless you want to go home?”

He shuddered. “I want to stay here.”

She scooted so that she was facing him. “Then we’re going to play a fun game. You make it all the way to the end, you get this.” She shook the bag. “But if you tell me to stop, or no, _anything_ like that, game’s over. And then I eat it. Understand?”

He nodded. “I. Yeah.”

She took a folding knife out of her pocket and flipped it open. “Do you like ‘omega’ or ‘slave’ better?”

He looked between her and the knife. “Why...?”

“Oh, because I’m going to carve it into you.”

He shuddered and tried to shrink back from her. But there was really no way to.

“Oh, that’s not a ‘no’ is it?”

“N-” He stopped himself. “It’s… not one.”

“Then, answer me. Which do you prefer?”

He shook his head weakly. He didn’t like _either_ of them, and he certainly didn’t want one carved into him. But it didn’t really matter, did it? He wasn't getting out of this alive. He lowered his head. “Omega.”

“Then we’ll go with ‘slave’!” She touched the gold she’d tattooed onto him, and let her fingers trail to his abs. His muscles jumped under her touch and she smirked at him. “You’re going to want to stay still.”

He was breathing hard and he felt the metal against his skin. He screamed when she cut into him. Each letter was only a finger’s length, but she cut each one slowly, precisely. She had barely finished the ‘L’ when he shook his head.

“No more, please. Please, I can’t. _Please_.”

“Aww, is that _really_ all you had in you?”

She shrugged and set the knife on the floor. She opened the bag and started tearing off bits of the sandwich. She ate them, sitting right where she was, and she made sure he could hear her enjoying every last bite of it.

“Well, that was really lovely. Such a shame you couldn’t have any.” She shrugged and picked the knife up. “Back to work!”

“No! You said you wouldn’t!”

“No,” she said patiently, “I said the _game_ would be over. And it is.”

She went back to carving in his flesh, enjoying his screaming and his sobbing as each bleeding letter took shape. She sat back and admired her work once she was finished. The blood had run nicely down his body. She took out her phone and took pictures of her ‘art’ before stepping back to take one of Eggsy.

“I should text these to Harry. I bet he’d love them.”

She walked around behind Eggsy and opened the shackles on his wrists. She pushed him forward; he tried to brace himself but was too weak to. He lay on the ground, whimpering. Pain had shot through his arms when he’d had to move them. She walked away from him and he heard her going up the stairs.

07

Poppy was awakened by a call at 3 a.m.. One of her spies had seen Kingsman making a move, en masse. But not against them; against their new allies. She debated warning them and then just went back to bed. If they weren’t watching, then they deserved what they got.

Her alarm went off four hours later. A call to her spies told her that Kingsman was still very involved in their little fight. That was good, because she knew that once Harry had them neutralized, he’d make his move to come after Eggsy. And she wanted him to find one of two things: a dead Omega, or an utterly destroyed but only half-dead Omega.

She went to the building he was in and down to him. He was asleep on the floor, his arms curled under his body. He started when he heard her and she could see him shaking. But just how broken was he?

She went over to him and unlocked the bands over his legs. “Harry still hasn’t come and, well, I’m bored. So. You may go.”

Eggsy curled up a little more and shook his head.

“Oh, I mean it! You can really go. You don’t even have to go home. You can go… wherever you can get to before someone picks you up, really. But hey, maybe they’ll love you just like Harry did.”

He winced at her words, but tried to get his feet under him. He didn’t even get all the way up before he collapsed again. He didn’t even struggle a second time; he just lay there, accepting whatever his fate was. Because out there or in the Room, dead was dead.

“Oh, poor pup.”

She kicked him, and he whined but he couldn’t make himself move away. She rolled him onto his back and straddled him. The letters she’d carved on him were swollen, and the gold tattoo already had a clear infection going. She took her knife out and he didn’t even make a sound.

“You’re dying. You know that, don’t you.”

He turned his head, looking away from her but saying nothing. He was too weak to get away from her. His chest ached where the gold was. He’d felt it earlier and the skin had been too warm, and he knew what that meant. The likelihood of his getting food and medical attention before something killed him was not good. And he’d stopped caring. Because if he died, she couldn’t torture him any more.

“Do you want me to make it quick? Well, quicker?”

He closed his eyes.

“Turn your head the other way if you do. One little cut in just the right spot… and you’ll bleed out. Your blood pressure will drop and you’ll pass out, so you won’t even know when it happens.”

He looked up at her, and she felt a surge of triumph as he turned his head to the other side. She’d broken him, and now she really wanted him to be alive for Harry. She thought for a few moment, and Eggsy was still beneath her the entire time. If she cut him just right and if Harry dropped everything to come after him, Eggsy could still be alive by the time Harry found him. Even if he died, Harry would have to make the choice to kill him. It made her just too happy.

She felt along Eggsy’s neck and then pressed her knife against him. “Little pinch,” she said as she cut into him.

She watched the blood flow for a few seconds, and was very pleased with herself. It would take him a good hour to bleed out. It’d be like those old movies with the lady tied to the train tracks. Will Our Hero Get There In Time?

She started laughing as she got off of Eggsy. She left him where he was, completely unbound, and she even left the door ajar. Eggsy could still save himself if he wanted to, but he’d given up. She hummed to herself on the way back to her condo. She was busy with her phone, typing out the address of the building Eggsy was bleeding to death in and directions for Harry. She finished typing out the directions and added a personal message for him:

_Good morning, Harry;_

_You have about 50 minutes to get here before he dies. He’s unchained and the door’s open. Poor thing isn’t going anywhere. Ever again if you don’t come for him. I hope everyone’s having fun; you’re still in the middle of that attack, aren’t you? Wasn’t it nice of me that I didn’t even warn them?_

_Kisses_

She added the picture of Eggsy she’d taken and sent it, but not just to Harry. She had all the contact information she needed for him, for Hamish, and for Lee. Each of them would get the message. And then it would be up to Harry to decide if he wanted to call off part of the attack or make the choice to let him die.

Oh, and how would daddy take it if Harry chose to let his little baby die? The thought sent her giggling again.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When we left off, Eggsy was in the middle of dying and Harry couldn't come for him.  
> Will Roxy and Michelle make it in time?
> 
> And load up on insulin, folks. This chapter gets sickeningly cute and sweet.

01

Merlin heard his mobile chime and he looked at it long enough to see an unknown number. He didn’t bother trying to read the message; he was busy trying to keep five squads coordinated and do whatever they needed him to. It chimed a second time and he looked over, this time seeing the picture of Eggsy.

He pulled the mobile over, keeping an eye on everything until he had a second he could look away. He pulled the first message up and hissed in a breath. He knew Harry - and this was assuming the message had been sent to both of them - had his own on him, but on silent. He knew Harry wouldn’t even look at it until the mission was over.

He considered setting his own transmission to just go to Harry’s feed. But to what end? They’d already started the attack and had to see it through, because they’d never get a chance like this again. Harry would just have to wait until it was done before finding out.

He muted his transmission for a moment. “Text Roxy. Where are you. Send.” He looked at the mobile long enough to be certain that it had done what he’d said and then he pushed the picture and the message out of his mind. It was all he could do.

02

Poppy put her hand on the scanner outside of her condo door and expected to hear the look disengage. But instead of doing its job, the scanner fizzled at her and beeped an error. She sighed and smacked the scanner a couple times. It beeped again, and she put her hand on it. It scanned her and the lock disengaged.

Things would be so much easier if maintenance was just… _hooked_ into the security systems. Maybe she’d just have to twist a few arms. Just because Benny went haywire _once_ and maybe maimed a couple Omegas didn’t mean there was anything _wrong_ with the technology.

Clearly the solution was to seize someone’s Omega and play with them. She shut the door behind her, stopped and tipped her head back with a groan. She’d had the _perfect_ Omega to experiment on! There’s no way he’d survive it _now_ , not when he’d given up.

She shook her head. “Well, _that_ ’s a wasted opportunity.”

“What is?”

Poppy started at the voice. There was a woman standing in the doorway to the dining room. She saw movement out of the corner of her eye and looked long enough to see a second woman stepping into the doorway into the kitchen. The one blocking her way to the kitchen was one of Harry’s little minions. The other one she knew _well_. They both had guns in hand, trained on her. And Harry’s little minion had her head tipped ever so slightly. 

She started laughing. “Michelle Baker!”

“Unwin,” she snapped.

“Oh, whatever,” she said with a dismissive wave. “I should have given Harry more credit. I didn’t think he’d send _you_ with, um…” she pointed a finger at Roxy, “Rochelle?”

“Harry didn’t send us,” Roxy said.

“Harry… didn’t.” Poppy looked from Roxy to Michelle and smiled slowly. “So this is an… off the books, behind his back thing?”

“It’s _personal_ ,” Roxy growled.

Poppy started laughing. It was too rich. Here she’d told Harry how to find Eggsy, and they wouldn’t even be checking in with him. Her eyes flickered to the clock. How long could she keep the two of them with her? And how long would it take them to figure out where Eggsy was?

It really _was_ going to be like one of those old movies and it made her far too happy. 

“Tell me where my son is, you bitch,” Michelle growled.

“Oh! I’ve never been threatened by an _Omega_ before! It’s so cute!” She laughed and then smiled coldly, all the mirth vanishing from her face. “He’s in the Room. You know the one.”

She was _thrilled_ to see the fear in her lost Omega’s eyes, and the understanding in them. All of her property knew about the Room, and that going to it meant a slow, painful death. Poppy could see that Rochelle didn’t understand what it meant, but that she was following the Omega’s lead.

“Where is it?” Michelle’s voice was shaking. Poppy took it as fear; she missed the rage in Michelle’s words.

“Mm, somewhere. I _could_ tell you, but I think it’ll be more fun for you to have to find it.” She positively cackled. “Mostly because you’re on a time limit.”

“Explain,” Roxy snapped.

“Oh, I gave him a nice little cut juuuuuuust here....” She turned her head and touched her neck. “He even _let_ me do it. He’s ready to die, and he knows no one’s coming to save him. It’s been, oh…” she made a show of looking at the clock. “Twenty minutes or so. If I did it right, well, then you have a good half-hour to find him. By then, it’ll be up in the air if he even survives just the blood loss.” She shrugged, giggling. “But then he’ll have what he wants, I guess.”

“Tell me where the fucking Room is!” Michelle all but screamed. She was only peripherally aware that she’d started crying, and she was breathing hard. 

“Mm, let me think here. You both have guns and I, well, don’t. Rochelle has had training. I know you don’t, Michelle, but that still means _one_ of you will actually hit me when you fire. I tell you, and you kill me, right? Or I don’t tell you, and you still kill me, but hey, I take your son with me.” She chuckled. “I’ll take that option.”

Michelle wanted to tear Poppy apart, to hurt her into talking. But she knew there was no time, and that it wouldn’t happen even if there was. She felt something inside of her breaking. She’d never heard of anyone coming out of the Room alive. And as it snapped inside of her, she felt her feral nature take over. She was a predator; Poppy her prey. A certain calm clarity came with it, as she tensed to pounce and bite and claw.

“You’re wrong,” she said quietly.

“Oh? About what? That you’re not going to kill me or that Eggsy isn’t going to die?”

“That I don’t have any training.”

She fired, and Poppy looked down at the blood blossoming on her shirt. She touched it and looked up at Michelle in surprise. The Omega had actually hit her. _Her_. Michelle fired again, and then she couldn’t stop. She emptied the gun, and was dry firing for long before she realized it. She screamed and threw the gun at the body.

Roxy felt her mobile vibrate again, and pulled it out of her pocket planning on just seeing who was messaging her. But when she saw two messages from Merlin, she worried, because Merlin wouldn’t take his attention off the attack for no reason. She called him.

“Merlin? No, I’m. I’m not at the manor. Michelle and I went after Eggsy.” Her voice broke on his name. He was so close, but she could have him anywhere, and they’d never find him in time. “You…” Her eyes widened. “Send it!”

She hung up on him and waited. It was only a few seconds before the message and directions popped up on her screen. Michelle had joined her and grabbed the mobile from her.

“That’s, that’s the lot behind this one.”

Michelle took off running, keeping Roxy’s mobile in her hand. Roxy sprinted after her, keeping pace just behind her. Michelle paused once to check the directions and look around, but then started toward one of the buildings. Michelle slowed as she approached, Roxy’s mobile slipping form her hand, and she took off. It took Roxy a moment longer than Michelle to catch the smell of Eggsy’s blood. She slowed long enough to grab her mobile and followed Michelle.

Michelle found the door and didn’t even slow to make sure it wasn’t a trap of some sort. Getting to Eggsy was her only concern, even as she nearly slipped down the stairs. The smell of his blood was so strong and she didn’t even register her own fearful whines. 

She saw him, lying on his back in a pool of his own blood, and she felt faint, but she still scrambled toward him. She half-sank, half-slipped down in the cool blood, putting her hands on him and whining at how cold he felt. His chest was barely rising with his breath, but he _was_ breathing still.

But there was so much blood. How much could a person lose and still live? How much had he even lost? It looked like so much, like so very much. She was crying again without realizing it, and looking around in a panic for something, anything, to staunch the flow of blood with. She looked down at herself, the blood she was kneeling in, the blood on her hands, and went to rip her shirt off.

“Michelle.” Roxy’s voice was soft and calm.

She knew Michelle was a feral Omega, but she’d never seen her actually _go_ feral. She had no real desire to try and get between her and her child without permission, not right now. She wasn’t arrogant enough to believe that Michelle being so small would be enough to keep herself safe.

“Look, see what I have?” She held out a packet for Michelle to see. “It’s alpha-gel. Did Lee tell you about it? Let me put it around his neck, okay? It’ll seal the wound and help keep him alive until we can get him home.”

Michelle nodded and let Roxy put it around Eggsy’s neck. She activated it and it pressed around his neck, sealing off the wound. Roxy heard Michelle start to whine and softly shushed her.

“He can still breathe. See? He’s still breathing.”

She got her hands under him, trying hard to not shudder at how cold he felt. She didn’t see how he could survive this, especially when he didn’t want to. But even if he hadn’t been breathing, she wouldn’t have left him. She _couldn't_ do that.

She stood and shifted him so she could carry him easily, although he felt far too light. Michelle kept a hand on him as they got him to the stairs, only letting go of him so Roxy could make her way up to the door. They left bloody footprints on the concrete, and handprints on the door. Roxy kept an eye out for anyone coming near them, but she could hear the low, nearly constant growl from Michelle; anyone trying to stop them would have had her to deal with, and Roxy would have felt no pity for them.

They got back to the car with no trouble, although Michelle cocked her head and looked toward the condominium. Roxy looked over and could see the bustling activity outside of it. Poppy’s body must have been found.

“The door, Michelle,” Roxy said softly.

Michelle opened the door to the backseat and helped her get Eggsy inside. She cradled his head in her lap and whispered to him that he was safe, that she had him, that no one else was going to hurt him.

Roxy got in front and glanced at her passengers. “Hold on.”

It was the only thing she said as she drove. Michelle had to brace herself against the seat every so often as Roxy drove. But she never looked up from Eggsy’s too pale face. She knew Roxy was trained the way all the agents were. She could feel the car swerving this way and that, and could hear the horns of other motorists as Roxy swerved around them. She trusted in the young agent to get them back, whatever it took.

03

Eggsy came to slowly. The room was dark, but he could hear a quiet, intermittent beeping near him. He could feel something around his neck and around one wrist and hand. Someone had dressed him and he could feel bandages on his chest and over where Poppy had carved into him. But he didn’t feel a sense of relief or safety. Because she’d told him he could die and she hadn’t let him die.

He let out a shuddery breath, feeling close to tears. “No, no…” He heard someone moving in the dark and he whined.

“Eggsy, Eggsy no, it’s okay. It’s okay.” It was a woman’s voice, slurred with sleep, but he knew it. “You’re _home_.”

“Please…” the word was little more than a pitiful whisper.

The lights came on, and he flinched. It took a second for him to fully understand what he was seeing. The thing he had felt around his wrist and on his hand was a tube taped into place. One end led to a needle in the back of his hand, the other to an IV bag. The beeping - which had sped up considerably in the last few seconds - was a heart monitor. 

He looked around the room, slowly. There were a couple things of flowers on the bedside table, and a box tied with a ribbon. There were a couple takeaway containers peeking over the lip of the trash bin.

“You’re in medical, Eggsy,” Tilde said, coming over to him.

He looked up at her, tipping his head slightly. He reached out to her cautiously and she took his hand. He pulled her hand close and pressed it to his cheek. She came closer and sat on the edge of his bed. He leaned against her and held onto her; she could feel him shuddering against her.

“We could lay down,” she offered.

He nodded just a little and moved back enough for them to both have room. He lay against her; she put her arms around him, holding him and gently rubbing his back. He calmed slowly, his breathing evening out and his heart rate slowing. She’d thought he’d fallen back to sleep when he spoke.

“How did you…?”

“I didn’t,” she whispered. “Roxy and you mum did. They…” She trailed off. From what she’d gotten Roxy to tell her, it had sounded as if they’d just barely gotten to him. If they hadn’t already been there… If Roxy hadn’t answered Merlin… She barely suppressed a shudder. “Poppy’s dead.”

He tensed against her. “...what?”

“She’s dead. She can’t ever hurt you again.”

He stared at her for a moment, his breathing shallow and his face full of emotion, before pressing his face against her neck to hide there. It was only a few moments before she felt the warmth of his tears. She didn’t need him to tell her that he was glad Poppy was dead, or that he never would have felt safe again if she hadn’t been. She felt those things; if Michelle hadn’t killed her or if Harry hadn’t been willing to let one of his people go back and kill Poppy, she would have learned how to shoot a gun and gone after the Alpha herself.

She held him until he calmed again. She knew it would be some time before he was back to himself again, if this hadn’t altered him forever. At least he’d have access to therapy, something Harry had already been setting up for him. It would help him, if nothing else.

“Why don’t I call Harry?” she offered once he had relaxed against her.

“Why?”

She tensed at that. He sounded so… so… She couldn’t quite put a finger on how he sounded exactly. There was anger there, and a lot of hurt. And something that sounded so broken in that single word. It was as if he thought Harry hadn’t cared.

“Eggsy….” she shifted and made him look up at her. “Harry has been worried sick about you. He’s barely slept. Merlin and I have been having to force him to eat. He only left because we _forced_ him to so he would get some sleep. He’s only been gone from your side for…” she looked over at the clock. “Not even four hours.”

He looked at her uncertainly, and she could see that he _wanted_ to believe her, but just couldn’t bring himself to. It made her realize that Poppy had gotten to him more than just physically. She’d gotten inside his head. She found herself wishing Michelle _hadn’t_ killed Poppy, just so she could have a turn at it.

“Here. Let’s do an experiment, okay?”

She got up long enough to get her mobile. She put it on speaker and called Harry. It was only a few seconds before Harry answered. He couldn’t have been asleep or far from the mobile; it wouldn’t have even gotten halfway through the ringtone. Tilde could tell Eggsy about Harry staying at his side all she wanted, but this was more than words and something he couldn’t deny because of how Poppy had gotten in his head.

“Is he alright? Is he awake?”

Eggsy made the softest of sounds at hearing Harry’s voice, and his concern. The exhaustion was clear in his voice, but so was the need for her to say something good had happened. He opened his mouth to say something but she silently shushed him.

“Well, I got to thinking. It’s… what? 3:30, 4?”

“3:47.” Harry’s answer was clipped and unamused sounding.

“Yeah, the middle of the night. Do you want me to wait until morning if he wakes up? I’m sure you need to sleep more than-”

“What kind of fucking question is _that_?” he snarled

Eggsy stared at the phone, a little smile attempting to form. Harry’s voice had dropped with every word, and Eggsy remembered the tone he’d answered her with very well. It was that angry, territorial tone he’d heard the first time they’d met.

“Well, Eggsy thought you might not want to be woken up.”

“Eggsy thought…?”

There was a second and the line broke. Tilde looked over at Eggsy.

“He hung up on me. Can you _believe_ him? That’s not very gentlemanly at all.”

“No, it’s not,” Eggsy agreed shyly.

It had said a lot to Eggsy about where Harry’s mind had been, and it had been on _him_. Even _if_ Harry hadn’t come for him. Maybe he’d wanted to. Or maybe she’d hidden him too well. Eggsy settled against Tilde again. He wasn’t feeling better exactly, but he felt less like breaking down even more. Less like something inside of him was just shy of snapping entirely.

If he’d still needed more proof that Harry did, in fact, love him, it came through the door only minutes later. Harry didn’t have a jacket or a tie on, and the top few buttons of his shirt were undone. And all of that could have been passed off as just someone who was in for the night, but there was more. His shirt was rumpled, as if it had been worn - and perhaps slept in - for more than one day. His hair was a mess; the once tamed curls had started to stick up as they’d started breaking free of the product and were held at terribly messy angles from the product that hadn’t lost its hold. And Harry was unshaven.

Eggsy made a soft, almost pained sound, and reached out for Harry. Harry took Eggsy’s hand in both of his and sat on the edge of the bed. 

“You look like shit, Harry,” he said quietly.

“Of course I look like shit. You and Merlin have pointed out that it takes two hours for me to look as good as I prefer to. It would have meant leaving you.” He reached over and cupped Eggsy’s cheek. “Which I only did because Tilde was under the impression that I should go back to the flat and sleep.

Eggsy laughed softly, tipping his head toward Harry’s hand, and then looked so guilty. “I thought... I don’t know what I thought.”

“You were alone. You were being tortured. And the woman who had you knew exactly how to hurt you the most.” Harry gently kissed Eggsy’s hand. “It’s a relatively simple thing to break someone down psychologically, and in a short period of time.”

Eggsy watched him in something akin to wonder for several moments. He’d doubted Harry in a very fundamental way, and yet Harry had not only accepted it, Harry didn’t blame him for his doubt. He felt his emotions rising again.

“Merlin hasn’t been able to be here as much as he would have liked. He’s been quite busy with official business. Most of which was caused by a resourceful candidate.”

Eggsy smiled a little. “Sorry I caused him so much work.”

Harry shook his head. “He did leave you a get well present of sorts, however,” he said with a nod toward the box.

Eggsy looked over at the box and picked it up. It was very light and there was a card stuck just inside of it.

_Not everyone can pull it off the way I do._

He frowned at the card and opened the box. Inside was a wig, a near match to his own hair color and it had been styled to match how he wore it. He picked it up in shaking hands. Tilde took it from him very gently and helped him to get it on.

And then he couldn’t keep from crying any longer. They loved him. They loved him so fucking much that it hurt.

04

“You can go back to your flat,” the doctor told him a couple days later. They’d learned, quickly, not to use the word ‘home’ with Eggsy. “I’m sorry that we can’t remove the gold just yet, but with the infection…”

Eggsy nodded and held up the container of pills he’d been given. “I know. Take all of these and then I can have it removed.”

The doctor nodded. “It’s. Well, you’ll probably have the scarring from it. Your skin is going to heal, and then have it cut away. There isn’t a lot that can really be done about that.”

Eggsy nodded and looked away. “Yeah, I… yeah.”

“I believe Galahad is out waiting for you. She thought you might want company on your way back.”

He nodded, although he knew ‘company’ was a polite word there. Eggsy was afraid to be alone. Harry had assured him, repeatedly, that he’d feel comfortable being alone again, but it didn’t feel true just yet.

“Thanks,” he said, leaving the exam room and going out to find Roxy. 

“All set?”

“Yeah. Thanks for, um…”

“We’re friends, Eggsy,” she said softly. Maybe they hadn’t exactly been before the mission, but it had been something of a life-altering one.

She walked with him to the lift, staying at his side and matching his pace. He was moving slowly, and she didn’t fault him with it. Not after everything he’d been through. She pressed the call button and they waited.

When the doors opened, Gaheris got out. “Galahad, I’d thought Arthur…” He saw Eggsy and trailed off, grinning. “Oh, out of hospital finally. How’re you feeling, Cador?”

Eggsy frowned at the epithet. He didn’t get the joke, and given his previous experiences with the Beta, he assumed it was a joke at his expense. He wanted to get riled up, but all he had in him to do was look away. “Fine.”

“God, you’re such an arse,” Roxy snapped at Gaheris and herded Eggsy into the elevator. “Look, he didn’t… mean anything by it.”

Eggsy shrugged. “It’s. It’s fine. I caused a lot of problems; I caused Merlin a lot of work. Needed you and mum to come rescue me. I’m just sorta glad he didn’t make some Omega crack.”

Roxy studied him for a moment before pressing a button. “He wasn’t wrong about Arthur wanting me, though. You don’t mind if we stop there first?”

“No, not at all.”

She took him into the manor house proper and down to the conference room. Eggsy paused at the door and she eyed him. “You don’t want to come in?”

He shrugged. “Omegas ain’t allowed.”

She took him by the hand. “Arthur will make an exception.”

He let her lead him inside. Arthur was inside, as was Merlin and his dad; there was also an agent Eggsy had seen before but never actually met.

“Eggsy, good to see you up and about,” Harry said. “We never have spoken on your final test.”

Eggsy shook his head. “It’s alright, Arthur. We don’t have to.”

Merlin’s brow rose. “All the work you caused, you better believe we’re gonna fuckin’ talk about it.”

Harry gave Merlin a very dry look and turned his attention back to Eggsy. “I want you to understand something, Eggsy. As Arthur, I could call you a knight all I want, but if the other agents refused to work with you for being an Omega, nothing I really said would matter.”

“No, I get that.”

“So when it came to the decision about your test, I left it to the seniormost agents to decide on. Merlin, Gawain, Galahad, and I stayed out of both the discussions and the vote that was taken.”

Eggsy nodded. The only four who believed in him had stayed out of it. Well, he’d still gotten farther than any other Omega could have hoped. “That’s.” He sighed. “No, that’s understandable, Arthur. You and Merlin are my… Alphas. Gawain’s my dad. And Galahad. Well. After what happened, yeah, I get it.”

“This is Palamedes. He was in charge of the discussion.”

Eggsy nodded to him. “Sir.”

“We reviewed your training footage, your test scores, even Galahad’s report on the mission. None of that really mattered, however. Our decision was based on one, very crucial fact that we could not ignore.”

Eggsy bit down on several words that wanted to come. He wasn’t sure if the agent would more expect him to just bow his head and take it, or act like the Beta he’d passed himself off as and challenge him. He settled on just coolly watching him.

“You took it upon yourself to copy information you were not sent after because you thought they might be important - which I’m not sure if you were made aware of just _how_ important they ended up being for us - and then sacrifice your safety so the mission could succeed.” Palamedes shook his head. “The vote was unanimous. And while I never thought I would say this to an Omega, welcome to Kingsman, Cador.”

Eggsy continued to stare at the agent for a few moments. “What?”

Roxy chuckled beside him. “Like I said, Gaheris is an arse. No one was supposed to say anything.”

“I made it…?” He looked at Harry for a sign that this was some really terrible joke.

“Yes. You won’t be on active duty until you’ve healed from your ordeal, but you _are_ an agent now.”

Eggsy broke into a slow but very bright grin.

“That also means the tradition of Omegas not being allowed in the conference room will no longer be enforced.” Harry looked over at Lee, who nodded. “And Michelle is, as of yet, unaware. We thought you’d like to be the one to tell her.”

“Yes, Arthur, I would absolutely like to be the one to tell her.”

05

“So what’s all this work I caused then?” Eggsy asked once he and Roxy were out of the conference room.

Roxy chuckled. “That splinter faction?”

“Yeah?”

“We wiped them out. Well, I wasn’t involved. I was a bit busy going behind Harry’s back and doing something I wasn’t supposed to.”

He smiled a little, ducking his head. “Comin’ after me, you mean.”

She nodded. “You know he would have authorized a rescue mission after the attack, don’t you?”

Eggsy sighed softly. “Yeah, I know. I mean, I didn’t at the time. But…” He shrugged.

She put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “But when they got done, there was the question of their Omegas and their kids to deal with. Merlin’s been juggling resources. They’ve got a building that’s being converted to flats for them, with a couple reserved for personnel who’ll… basically take care of their needs and keep an eye on them.”

“That’ll work… until someone decides that a building full of unowned Omegas-”

“Oh, Harry owns them. Legally speaking, anyway.”

Eggsy slowed and looked at her. “That’s going to put a huge target on his back. I mean, it’s _one_ thing to have one Omega that you ‘indulge’ and ‘spoil’. It’s another, entirely, to just…”

She nodded. “He knows. Officially, it’s a halfway house until he can find interested owners. But our people know Harry has a soft touch when it comes to Omegas. I think most people in our clan realize he’ll treat them as free as the laws allow.”

Eggsy shook his head. Harry was so fucking odd, although he would never deny that he _liked_ how odd Harry was. “He knows he ain’t gonna change the world, right?”

She stopped walking. They were at his parents’ flat. “He did for a couple dozen people.” She gave his shoulder another squeeze and left him.

He watched her leave with a mix of amusement and surprise and then went into the flat. He heard a high-pitched shriek as Daisy saw him and went running at him. He lifted her up and swung her.

“They released you.” Michelle went over to him and checked him all over, touching him here and there and making certain he was alright. “Let me take her. You’re recovering.”

“I’ve got her, mum.” He started toward the family room. “So, spoke to Arthur.”

She eyed him and went after him. “I know he… left it up to the others. About you.”

He nodded. “Yeah. Did you know that dad and Merlin and Roxy stayed out of it, too?’

She winced. “Oh, sweetheart. How bad was it?”

“Unanimous. It all came down to one thing.”

“Oh, those-” she cut herself off, looking at Daisy.

“Yeah,” he said with a shrug. “Guess I did too good of a job on the mission for them to be willing to say no.”

She stared at him, eyes widening. “You’re in?”

She let out a little shriek and jumped on him. He shifted Daisy to one side so Michelle could hold onto him. She lifted her feet up and he laughed, tightening his hold on her so he wouldn’t drop her. When she put her feet back down and pulled away from him, he saw she’d started crying.

“They’re going to make it hard on you. You’ll have to be three times as good as they are.”

He nodded. “Yeah, I know. And I’ll make it look effortless.”

She took Daisy from him and spun around, holding the toddler up high. She wasn’t jealous or biter about his getting in. He’d done what she’d been denied, and she was utterly thrilled by it. Daisy giggled as she was spun around. She didn’t know what the excitement was about, but it was catching, _especially_ if it involved being spun in the air.

“We should go out to celebrate!” she said when she came to a stop. “All seven of us! As a...family.”

The last three words became so very shy. Harry and Merlin had been family by being part of the clan. But Harry, Merlin, and Tilde had become family in a slightly deeper way. She’d never _heard_ them call Eggsy their mate and she’d only heard him call them his Alphas. But… they were. It was just a different word for the same arrangement, but there was a difference in connotation.

He grinned. “I’d like that. I’m sure they’d like it, too. Honestly, given just Harry, there’s probably a plan already. You’d probably have better luck getting it out of dad than I will getting it out of Harry.”

She grinned. “Yeah, likely. I’ll call him and find out. And if there isn’t one, we’ll make one.”

He gave her and Daisy a kiss. “I’ll see you in a bit then, yeah?”

He left them and went back to Harry and Merlin’s flat. He supposed it was _their_ flat, but he still thought of it as Harry and Merlin’s place. He’d never really _had_ his own place and wasn’t used to thinking of a place as his, too.

Tilde was sitting on the couch when he got inside. She had a box of chocolates on the table in front of her. 

“What’s all this?”

She grinned at him and pat the couch. “I thought, if you were up for it, we could try an… experiment of sorts.”

He rose his brow and he went over and sat with her. “What kind of an experiment?”

“I want to try reconditioning you,” she said. “She conditioned you to be afraid when you heard… you know. I’d like to try and… try to undo that.”

“So what? Gonna sit there and just say that until…”

She shook her head. “That’s what the chocolate’s for. I figure a nice kiss or something else you might like to feel and a chocolate.”

He looked at her uncertainly. “I mean, we can try it. It’d… Well, it’d be nice to not…” He shrugged. He didn’t like feeling panicked just because he heard someone mentioning ‘going home’ to him.

She pulled him close and kissed him, gently but deeply. She reached between his legs and gave him a firm, but gentle, squeeze; just enough of one to get a pleased sigh from him. She broke the kiss and fed him the chocolate, whispering to him. “Welcome home.”

He shuddered, feeling his throat wanting to close up, feeling his heart racing. He looked at her, just trying to focus on her and not the terror that those two, simple, stupid fucking words brought up. 

She kissed his forehead. “Maybe it’s too soon.”

“It might be but…” He shook his head. “How’m I supposed to do missions and shit if I can get frozen up by one word? It’s probably not what this therapist Harry wants me to see’ll suggest, but… if it works, yeah?”

She smiled slowly. “He told you?”

He stared at her. “Were mum and I the last two to know?”

She giggled. “I think so?”

“How long ago did he tell you?”

She bit her lip, grinning at him. “Well, from what Harry said, he’d already talked to some of his people about how you were going to be evaluated before you and Roxy left. The one who’d been in charge of that, umm…”

“Palamedes,” Eggsy supplied.

“Yes, him. He bought some of the flowers before you woke up. Harry tried to hide how he was feeling, and he told Harry their decision.”

“Helluva time to do it.”

She nodded. “I think he thought it would help if Harry knew that he hadn’t sent you into that for nothing.”

Eggsy looked away shyly. His self-worth, which had been fairly shit to begin with, had taken a hit while he’d been captive. He knew Tilde had picked up on it, and she was almost going out of her way to make sure he knew just how valued he was. He didn’t mind it, not at all.

“So d’you know if we’re doing anything tonight?”

She bit her lip again, that same knowing grin surfacing. “I know nothing,” she insisted coyly.

“You know, I _am_ an intelligence agent now. Getting information is part of the job.”

“Oh? And how are you planning on making me talk?”

He kissed her. “Thought I’d try asking nicely.”

She laughed softly. “There _is_ something going on, dinner I think. But I don’t know more than that.”

“Suppose I should get a start on getting ready, ‘fore Harry gets home and all the hot water in the building vanishes.”

She laughed. “We’ve taken longer showers than Harry has.”

“Yeah, so we have.” He grinned. “Should we leave him some?”

She stood up and took him by the hand. He let her lead him to their bathroom.

06

Harry had, indeed, planned out dinner for them. They went to the same place Harry had taken them on their first date. They sat at a round table. Tilde and Harry were to either side of Eggsy, and Michelle was across from him. Harry had gotten them a bottle of wine (and a sippy cup of juice for Daisy).

Harry looked a little surprised, and perhaps even a touch disappointed, when the waiter reappeared to take their order. When they’d come before - and Eggsy had gotten the impression then that this was a routine thing with Harry at this particular place - the chef had come out and insisted on taking care of them himself. Harry had, of course, protested but had given in gracefully. Eggsy and Merlin exchanged an amused little glance. Harry could protest all he liked about not enjoying the special treatment his rank got him, but he _did_ enjoy it. He didn’t, however, react as though it was expected, as if the waiter had committed some breach of protocol. 

He took their orders by rank, starting with Harry, and then Tilde and Merlin. He took Lee’s, Eggsy’s, asked what the ‘little miss’ would be having, and then coolly asked if there was anything else. Lee started to speak when Eggsy cut him off.

“You ain’t gonna take her order, bruv?” he asked, with half of a nod toward Michelle.

“I apologize if you felt she was…” he hesitated, trying to find a good way of putting it, “being denied. What will she be having?”

“I dunno. I ain’t her.” His voice was even, but his anger was clear.

The waiter visibly colored. “Very sorry,” he said stiffly. “What will you be having?”

“Ma’am,” Eggsy prompted curtly.

“What will you be having, _ma’am_?”

Michelle gave her order, trying to act as if she didn’t feel utterly vindicated by Eggsy. The waiter nodded, trying to not seem completely off-balance by this Beta getting upset at the Omega at the table being treated, well, like an Omega.

“Could I ask one small favor?” Harry asked, oh so innocently.

“Of course, sir.”

“Do tell Chef that this is for Harry.”

He nodded stiffly. “Of course.”

Harry waited until he was gone. “Well, I must say-”

“I couldn’t _not_ ,” Eggsy nearly growled.

Harry smiled slightly. “As I was going to say, before I was interrupted, I’m rather pleased you didn’t clock him. I do enjoy dining here, after all.”

Eggsy looked surprised. Before he could say anything, Harry took his hand and kissed it.

“My darling, I would never expect you to censor yourself.”

“No, of course not,” Lee smirked at him. “Better that he says it than you. Gary’s a bit less prone to…” He looked at Merlin.

“Being dramatic?” Merlin offered innocently.

Harry sighed indignantly. “I am not dramatic.”

“Harry,” Merlin started. “You’re a clan-father. You’re nearly a literal drama king.”

Harry put on a show of scowling at Merlin before looking over at Daisy. “Do you see how terrible they are?”

She helped by giggling at him. She didn’t really understand what Harry was playing at being upset over, but he was playing at it. And it was delightfully silly.

“Well, she’s as much help anyone,” Harry muttered. 

Their meals came in short time. Michelle was pleased that she was actually served before Daisy. It was a little thing, yes, but it was a rare place that she was treated like more than a servant or an object. She mouthed a ‘thank you’ to him and he just shrugged with a smile. It had made her happy; that was more than enough for him.

They were onto dessert when Lee gave Harry a questioning look. Harry eyed Merlin and then Tilde, both of whom gave him a subtle nod. Eggsy took a sip of his drink, seemingly unaware of them, before speaking.

“Been discussing more things about me, have you?”

Tilde laughed softly. “Occasionally, yes.”

“What this time?”

Harry said nothing for a moment. “Tilde has expressed some… difficulties… with our current arrangement.”

Eggsy froze for a moment, meeting his mum’s eyes and coloring. “Um. Harry. Is this…”

“Living arrangement, dearest,” Tilde said with a chuckle. “I don’t drive, so coming and going always means a driver. I know you’d be perfectly willing to get me or bring me back, but you’ve got the job now. You’re not always going to be able to.”

“You, Hamish, and I need to be quickly accessible here; she needs to be quickly accessible for her clan.”

Eggsy looked at Harry critically. “I ain’t sure I follow.” Because it sounded like Tilde was stepping out of their relationship.

“There is a house that’s nearly on the border of our two territories. Traditionally, the clan-head lives in a central location, but…” Harry trailed off, looking at Tilde.

“If you’re to be my mate,” she said, idly brushing his temple with her fingers, “and they’re to be ours, then eventually our clans will coalesce. At which time, it will make sense for us to live there.”

Eggsy sat back in his seat, suddenly looking very out of place and very uncertain. “That… that ain’t nothing to do with me.”

“I would say otherwise,” Harry interjected.

“You’re the clan-father. She’s in line to be clan-mother. This would be… between you both.”

Harry put a hand under Eggsy’s chin and made the Omega meet his gaze. “You aren’t honestly going to tell me to start deciding your life, are you? Because this will affect you just as much as myself, as Tilde, as Hamish. You’ll be under a lot of the same scrutiny as we are.”

“This ain’t…” he trailed off before saying _something Omegas decide_. He shivered. 

“It’s a good match, politically speaking,” Tilde offered. “It would be beneficial to both clans. Also, Harry and Merlin wouldn’t have to decide on an heir apparent, as whatever child I have would end up being their heir; and you and I wouldn’t have to worry about being… discovered.”

Eggsy pulled away from Harry’s hand enough to look between the two of them. “How long have you been talking about this?”

“Just a few… days…”

“Weeks,” Tilde corrected. 

“Yes, a few weeks.” Harry shrugged.

“They brought me in on it a few days ago,” Merlin added. “For what it’s worth, I think it’s the best solution.”

“So this wasn’t… just to celebrate my being in…”

Harry chuckled. “Ah, my true motives revealed.”

“Let’s do it,” Eggsy said with a laugh. “Yeah. Let’s. Fucking Hell.” He winced. “Sorry, Dais.”

“Is okay.” Her cookies were a _lot_ more interesting than Eggsy saying Bad Words, especially since Mommy didn’t care.

Harry chuckled and then kissed Eggsy. He knew the papers would have a picture of that come morning, so he put a good show into it, despite Michelle and Lee being there. Dammit, if he was going to be outright called a drama king, then, by God, he was going to be dramatic.


	19. Chapter 19

01

It had been two months since Eggsy’s abduction. He’d recovered physically, but there were nights he couldn’t sleep and, despite the combined efforts of his mates, the word ‘home’ still brought up a sense of panic in him. Even so, it was hardly the worst psychological scarring he’d ever received, and he passed the agency mental health assessment.

He was standing across from Arthur’s desk, trying to not grin at him. “I’ve been cleared for duty, Arthur.”

Harry nodded. “So I’ve been informed. I take it you’re here to request a mission, then.”

“Yes, Arthur.”

Harry pushed back in his chair, leaning back to critically eye Eggsy. “Simply because they’d cleared you does not mean that _I_ have.”

Eggsy tried to not look crestfallen but the grin faded. “I. Yeah, I guess.”

“I’m sure you’re eager to prove yourself to your fellow Knights, but perhaps I should remind you: you’ve already done that. They’ve accepted you as one of them.”

“It ain’t-” He stopped and started again. “It isn’t that, not really. I _know_ they accepted me. I need to prove _to me_ that I’m still worth that acceptance.”

Harry rose his brow. “And just how reckless do you plan on being in order to prove to yourself that you haven’t been… What? Permanently damaged because of what happened?”

“I’m not gonna be reckless, Har- Arthur. Sorry. I’m going to do whatever I’m sent to do.”

Harry considered that for a moment before leaning forward enough to look at his computer monitor. “Let’s see… There’s a clan that needs infiltrating; it would be a honeypot mission. There’s another long-term undercover mission. There’s, hm, Merlin can do that one. There’s-”

A knock at his office door interrupted him.

“It’s open.”

Roxy, Lee, and Merlin came in. Roxy gave Eggsy a little grin and he tipped her a wink. None of them - and Eggsy was quite aware of it - seemed the least bit surprised to see him in there.

“Wonderfully timed, as expected,” Harry said. “Now that Cador has been returned to active duty, I have a mission for the four of you. Merlin and Gawain are already aware of this, but we have been actively spying on a clan for a bit now. In the last few months, they’ve had a change of leadership and our information has, subsequently, dried up. Clanless are no longer welcome in this territory and they’ve changed their computer protocols so that we can no longer hack into them.”

“How’d they do that? Bio-metrics?” Eggsy asked.

“A triple redundant system,” Merlin said, a bit sourly. “To make a long, complicated, and wholly annoying explanation short: in order to hack into it, I need to hack into three servers from the same station at the same moment. If the command is not accepted by all three in less than half a second, all three initiate a lock out.”

“I assume that’s to be our mission, then? Cador, Gawain, and I will infiltrate and get Merlin remote access.”

“Yes,” Harry said. “You’ll need to be in position and ready to accept his request at the same time. They’re each in a different location. The one that will be the most difficult to get to will be the one in their main house.”

“That server is heavily guarded, simply because of the location. It would take an entire squad to go through the front,” Gawain began. “The alternative is an old service tunnel that leads into an access space behind the walls. The door was bricked off years ago, but there _is_ a small hole in the wall. It was blocked off with chain link mesh, which may or may not be cut. Take bolt cutters. But.” He paused. “It’s a very small hole. Cador may be just able to pass through it.”

“ _May_ just?” Eggsy repeated.

“It was a tight fit for Michelle. But… that _was_ twenty years ago and the wall itself could be weaker at this point.”

Eggsy stared at Lee for a moment, before looking at Harry. “We’re going after Golden Circle?”

Harry gave him a bland look. “They attacked your Clan Father by stealing what was his. Of course we’re going after them.”

Eggsy gave him a sour look.

“Aside from which, with Poppy dead, her heir apparent has become the new Clan Father. He and I have had several angry discussions about her death and whether or not you should be considered mine.” Harry paused, his bland expression slipping enough for Eggsy to see the anger beneath it. “And I thought you’d like to have a hand in bringing them, and Clan Father Hesketh, down.”

“...well, I get why you asked me how reckless I was plannin’ on being. Is it too late to change my answer?”

“Depends on if you want to be involved or not.”

Eggsy nodded as if he’d expected that. “Understood, but you can’t blame me for asking.”

“Just to get it out of the way, I’d like to preemptively object to the next part,” Gawain said. “I realize both parties involved - as well as you, Arthur - are going to steamroll right over the objection, but…”

Harry chuckled softly. “Your objection is noted. Cador, Michelle is the only one we have who’s been through those service tunnels. Apparently, it was how she’d get out when she’d escape. She’s going with you, and is to do _nothing_ beyond getting you to the access point.”

Eggsy tried to bite down on the smirk that was forcing its way to the surface. “Does she get a codename?” 

“No,” Gawain snapped. “She’s going as a civilian and needs to be kept aware of that.”

Eggsy looked more than a little surprised that it was his own dad who was objecting so much. He opened his mouth to say something but then stopped himself and just nodded. He’d seen his mother. As much as she’d tried to hide it, she had been feeling her feral nature ever since she’d killed Poppy. Eggsy didn’t want to be the one to keep her on a leash, but he understood that she needed to be. For now, at least.

“Understood. I’ll make sure she stays behind.”

“Thank you,” Harry said quietly. “Once Merlin’s in, you head back. That’s it. This is only to get remote access so we can start gathering fresh information. Once we have that and have time to analyze it, _then_ we’ll attack them head on. And-” he gave Lee a pointed look, “I’m not going to be the one to try and hold Michelle back at that point.”

Lee shook his head. “I’m not even going to try to do anything more at that point than keep up with her.”

Harry nodded, a smirk forming. “You four know your mission. You leave tomorrow morning.”

02

“And you’re staying at the access point,” Eggsy said as they pulled onto an overgrown dirt road. “Arthur’s orders. And dad’s.”

Michelle sighed irritably. “I know, I know. You’ve all told me at least twice, each.”

Eggsy flushed a little. “Yeah, I. Sorry. It’s…”

“It’s your first actual mission,” she said quietly, more to herself than to him. “I know you don’t… want Arthur to think you can’t handle it.”

Eggsy didn’t answer her. That wasn’t what he was worried about, but he was _more_ than willing to take that and run with it. He’d tell her, later, that he was worried about _her_.

He pulled the car out of sight and they got out. He followed her down an embankment and to the blocked off service tunnel. She went along the wall, stepping lightly and silently, until she found what she wanted.

“You’re going to get that nice suit all dirty,” she said and dropped down.

She pulled at a loose brick until it came free. It was the size of a cinder block; she pulled several more of them out of place to make a hole big enough for them to pass through. She set them all on the other side of the wall and then slipped through on her stomach. Eggsy followed her; his shoulders were wider than hers, but he had an inch or so of clearance still. She put the bricks back into place and they were left in darkness.

“How good’s your dark vision?” she asked quietly.

“Um, alright?”

She reached out, took his hand, and started leading him. He followed behind her, able to make her out in the darkness but little else. Every so often, she’d pause and he’d hear her scenting the air. He didn’t know _what_ she was even smelling for; whatever it was, it was too subtle for him to detect.

It was a while, and about four turns later, when he started to pick up the smells of his old home. It wasn’t any one thing he could identify; it was almost as if, in his memory at least, there had been one overarching smell that was Golden Circle. For him, it was not a pleasant thing, and he doubted it was much better for Michelle.

The scent itself was faint, so very faint, but it was there; he realized that was what she’d been following and how she’d gotten through the dark maze. He’s always assumed being called ‘feral’ was just an insult aimed at unruly Omegas. He’d never realized how much better her senses were than his.

She stopped at one point and he could hear her low growl. He tugged on her hand very gently to try and pull her out of her thoughts. But all it did was make her tense her arm up.

“What?” he hissed at her.

“Dean.”

“Can you go on?”

She nodded. It wasn’t going _on_ that was the trouble right now. She’d shot Poppy. She knew she could do it again, and she knew Eggsy’s gun was close to her hand. Keeping from giving in to this side of herself would be the trouble.

“Don’t… let me blow this for you,” she said softly. 

She squeezed his hand and started down the corridor. After a while, Eggsy could smell Dean, too. They couldn’t hear him, not yet, but they could hear the Omega _with_ him. Whoever it was, Dean was beating the fuck out of them.

“I can’t,” Michelle said quietly.

“It’s okay. Will you be alright until I get back?”

“It’s not that.” She shuddered. “The crawl space is just ahead. If I go in there, though… I’m going to rip his throat out.”

Eggsy smirked in the darkness and squeezed her hand. “Don’t worry. I’ll.” He sighed. He could all but _feel_ Merlin listening over the glasses feed. “I’ll go do what I have to.”

She took Eggsy’s hands and guided him to where the hole in the wall was. He felt the chain link mesh covering it. Apparently, no one had realized it had been cut. That was, at least, a good sign.

He worked his way through the opening and felt the sharp edges of the wires trying to rip at the suit. “Fuck me, and you did this without somethin’ like this on.”

She laughed; it was a low but still amused sound. “Weren’t the worst cuts of my life.”

“No way Gawain woulda fit,” he said once he was through. “I’ll be right back.”

He crawled along, feeling the sides of the narrow space brushing his shoulders every so often. As he drew closer, he could hear the sound of fist on flesh, and although the Omega had stopped screaming, Eggsy could hear his quiet sobbing.

He came to the grate at the end of the crawlspace and he heard Merlin over the feed.

“That’s the server I need you to get me into.”

Dean wasn’t far from it. Neither was the bleeding Omega.

“Don’t,” Merlin warned.

Eggsy had been focused on his former owner and forced himself to look back at the server. He could hear Merlin talking, but it faded to a drone. All he could hear was the sobbing, and Dean hitting him, and the same bullshit he’d had to listen to his entire life. How he was worthless. Ungrateful. How he ought to be happy he wasn’t like _some_ owners.

He didn’t realize he was moving until he had turned around in the shaft and kicked the grate out. Merlin may as well have been yelling at a brick wall for all Eggsy heard him. Dean barely had time to recognize Eggsy before he was on the Beta. And while his conscious thought had checked out, his training had not. 

To say he beat the fuck out of Dean would be an understatement. He took out a lifetime of pain, and anger, and fear on the older man. He didn’t realize it when he started crying, or when Dean had stopped fighting back. But when the Omega touched his shoulder, he startled and drew his gun without thought.

The Omega cowered back from him and Eggsy, breathing hard, lowered the weapon.

“I’m sorry,” the young man said, his hands up.

“No, it’s…” He frowned slightly. Now that the rage had run its course, he recognized the Omega. They’d been friends. Sorta. As much as he’d been friends with anyone. “Jamal? How the _fuck_ did you end up with him?”

“He bought me,” he said, eying Eggsy. “I’m sorry… Do I… _Eggsy_?”

“‘lo, Jamal,” Eggsy grinned and went over to the server. “Alright, I’m actually _listening_ this time.”

“Who are you-”

Eggsy held up a hand to shush him and followed the very unhappy Scot’s instructions. Then he had to wait for the other two to get into position.

“So it’s a long story,” he said, finally answering the question he’d cut off.

“Bruv, you need ta get out of here. If they find you... “

Eggsy shrugged. “Then they find me.”

Jamal shook his head. “You could get away with that when you was here before. Now? Things’ve gotten _bad_ for us.”

“Cador, you have a mission.”

Eggsy froze. Merlin had gotten Harry on the feed.

“You have no fucking backup, Cador.”

“Bad _how_?” he asked, making the decision to ignore Harry.

“Bad enough to make me miss Mother,” he said quietly.

Eggsy watched him silently for a few moments before nodding. “Sorry.”

“Aren’t we all?”

“I’m sending the signal,” Merlin said.

Eggsy turned toward the server and waited for the request. Once it came in, he accepted it and then waited.

“I’m in,” Merlin said. “Alright, get out. All _three_ of you.”

“Yeah, about that…” Eggsy said.

“Cador, get out. _Now_ ,” Harry snarled over the feed.

“Sorry, love,” he said as he took the glasses off. He folded them and just stared down at them. He’d be stripped of his hard-won rank for this. “Jamal, I need you to do something for me.”

“...what?”

“Go find that piece of shit, and tell him I’m challenging him.”

Jamal laughed in disbelief. “You almost sound serious, bruv.”

“I _am_.”

Jamal shook his head and was about to argue against it, but he saw the look on Eggsy’s face. “You _know_ he’s gonna kill you, right? You got lucky last time.”

“No, I drugged him last time,” he said with a shrug. He crouched by Dean and rifled through the unconscious man’s pockets until he found a pen. He wrote his mobile number on Jamal’s wrist. “He can pick where and what we’re fighting with. Call me, and I’ll be there.”

“You’re fucking mental.” Jamal looked between Eggsy and the number on his wrist. “I hope you kill him.”

Eggsy smiled a little and watched Jamal head upstairs. He heard movement in the crawlspace and sighed. “Which one called you?”

“Arthur,” Michelle said as she climbed out. She stared at Dean, her eyes going wide. “Holy… shit, Eggsy.” She walked over to Dean, looking down at him. “He’s going to need a doctor,” she said blandly.

“Well, I just challenged Charlie, so that’s gonna be two of-”

“You _what_?!”

“I had to.”

She shook her head. “No, you didn’t. You-”

“He’s only Father cos Poppy’s dead. She’s only dead cos you had to come rescue me. I wouldn’t have needed rescuing if I hadn’t run away in the first place.” He ran a hand through his hair. “They’re all paying for what _I_ did, mum. Maybe I kill him and they can find a better Mother. Maybe he kills me and that satisfies him and he stops making people pay for my actions.”

“Eggsy-” she started as his mobile buzzed.

He took it out and answered. “Yeah?”

Charlie's voice, sounding both angry and amused, greeted him. “You really think I’d accept a challenge from _you_? Tell me where you are and I’ll go easy on you when you’re home.”

Eggsy flinched at the word but he didn’t back down. “Are you really going to refuse a challenge from an Omega? _Really_?” He laughed; he had to force it, but he did his damnedest to make it sound natural. “I can _see_ the headline: ‘Clan Father Afraid To Face Omega’.”

“Alright, if you’re so eager to die. I accept.”

Eggsy felt himself grow cold. He didn't actually see any way he was going to win, and he was afraid. So very afraid. “So, where and what?”

“Come out to the courtyard. And, hmmm, let’s make this easy for you, shall we? Just fists.”

“Fine,” he hung up. “So. I’m gonna go have a fight.” He took out his gun and handed it to Michelle. “In case he wakes up,” he said with a nod toward Dean.

He kissed her on the cheek and started toward the stairs. He’d just gotten there when he heard a single shot. He looked back and saw her standing over Dean with something of a cold look on her face. She didn’t look, well, he would have expected her to look pleased or something similar after shooting the man who’d abused her so badly and for so long.

“You’re supposed to have a second,” she said as she went over to Eggsy. She put a hand on his arm and looked over at Dean for a second. “He was already dying. All I did was give him the mercy of speed.”

Eggsy nodded, understanding. He’d done enough damage to Dean that she’d just put him out of his misery. No wonder she hadn’t looked pleased by it. She’d just shown him more mercy than he’d ever shown her.

“Well,” he said after a moment, “do me a favor and get out when he kills me?”

She held up the gun. “One way or the other,” she promised.

03

“Change of plans,” Merlin snapped into the feed while Harry called Michelle.

“What happened?”

“Your _son_ happened.”

“Fuck.” Gawain paused. “What about-”

“She’s fine. Arthur’s sending her after him.”

“Oh, sure, that’ll do a fucking thing.”

“Where are they?” Galahad cut in.

“Main house. Dean was beating on some Omega and Cador… reacted.”

“And Baker?”

“Dying, perhaps dead.”

“ _Good_.” Gawain’s voice positively dripped with smug satisfaction.

“That’s _hardly_ the point,” Galahad harped. “Do you know where he’s gone?”

Merlin said nothing for a moment. “Apparently things have gotten bad for Golden Circle’s Omegas.”

Gawain was silent for a moment. “Shit. I’ll be there in… ten. Less if I can.”

“I’m right behind him,” Galahad said.

Merlin cut the audio, sighed, and pushed back from the desk. Harry put a hand on Merlin’s neck and rubbed. “We shouldn’t have sent him.”

“You mean _I_ shouldn’t have,” Harry said. “Perhaps not.”

Merlin looked up at him. “You’d do it again though.”

Harry nodded. “Eventually, it was either going to be my killing Hesketh or Eggsy going after him.”

“So yeh just opened the door for him.”

“Yes,” Harry said mildly.

Merlin shook his head and went back to watching the monitors, and watching for Cador’s feed. “I’ll tell you if he comes back online.”

04

Eggsy found his way easily to the courtyard. It felt like a lifetime since he’d been back in this hellhole. He was vaguely surprised by the number of people who were already out there. Although, really, word of a runaway Omega challenging his owner for dominance _would_ be something that spread fast.

He turned long enough to toss his glasses to Michelle. He didn’t see her put them on or her hissed whisper to Merlin. His attention was fully on the Alpha waiting for him. He hadn’t forgotten how much smaller he was than Charlie.

Charlie looked him over with a haughty sneer. “Well, someone dressed us nicely.”

“Yeah. Me.” He saw absolutely no reason to point out it had been Harry who had designed the suit. “Let’s go then.”

“Eager to die, aren’t you?”

Eggsy smirked. “Who says I’m gonna?”

Charlie laughed. “Oh, fucking Hell. Listen to him! Fucking Omega thinks he can fight with the big dogs.”

“The circumstances of one’s birth do not define what one is,” Eggsy said.

“And who taught _you_ to speak like that?”

Eggsy’s smirk grew into a positively shit-eating grin. “Oh, just a _real_ Alpha.”

The humor was all but slapped off of Charlie’s face. He snarled and rushed at Eggsy. Charlie might have the strength and the bulk, but Eggsy had speed and training. For every blow the Alpha managed to land, Eggsy blocked a half-dozen. He knew at the rate things were going, he’d be down long before he tired Charlie out enough to do any real damage. 

He thought about the toxin on the shoe’s hidden blade, but dismissed it just as quickly. He wanted to do this on his own, not because of - what at the moment felt like - a cheap trick.

Eggsy grabbed Charlie’s forearm and used their momentum to wrench it behind the Alpha’s back. Charlie bent forward, trying to pull his arm away from Eggsy; he used that to get up on the Alpha’s back and get his arms around his neck. He snapped upright, bringing his freed arm around to try and grab Eggsy. Eggsy used the backward momentum to hook one arm against Charlie’s throat, and wrapped his other arm behind the Alpha’s head.

It was the first real weaponless way he’d learned to kill someone, although it had been taught initially as a way to bring someone down. Eggsy squeezed his arms as tightly as he could, knowing that if he lost his grip, he was utterly fucked. It didn’t take long for the hold to bring the big Alpha to his knees and then all the way down.

He thought about letting go once Charlie was down and leaving the Alpha to live with the knowledge that an Omega, on his own, beat his arse. But this ain’t that kind of story.

The Alpha was mostly unconscious when Eggsy loosened his hold just enough for him to be aware of what was happening. It would have been kinder if he hadn’t, but he _wanted_ the Alpha to _know_. He heard Charlie just starting to try and snarl out something, and he snapped one hand forward. Neck broken, the Alpha went limp under him, and Eggsy got off of him, staggering a bit from the exertion of it all.

Two of the Betas looked at each other uncertainly. One of them shrugged and cautiously approached Eggsy. Eggsy immediately went on the defensive, expecting to have to fight again, and again, and again until one of them killed him. That was fine; he’d done exactly what he’d disobeyed Harry to do.

The Beta looked down at the corpse, up at Eggsy, and then past him. “Oi!”

Eggsy turned enough to see the big, blond Alpha coming up behind him. It was one of Charlie’s buddies, Diggy or some such; Eggsy hadn’t bothered learning their names properlike. But with two Betas on one side of him and the Alpha coming up a third… He turned fully toward the Alpha. 

“ _No one's_ gonna talk about this. At all.” Digby pointed at Eggsy. “And you, you little, fucking-”

“That ‘little fucking’,” the Beta said, stepping beside Eggsy, “just won.”

Eggsy looked askance at the Beta. He wasn’t going to turn down an ally, but what the everloving fuck?

“He’s a fucking _Omega_ ,” the Alpha protested. “He. He fucking cheated!”

“No. He pissed Hesketh off, but… that’s hardly against the rules.” The Beta paused. “He hasn’t broken any rules that allow you to fight him.”

Digby’s face turned several shades of near-purple and he reached inside his sport coat. Eggsy went for his own gun, before remembering that Michelle had it. Eggsy flinched when a shot came, but instead of feeling the impact against the suit (or even in his head), he saw the burst of red on Digby’s shirt before the Alpha collapsed.

Eggsy looked, expecting it to have been Michelle, but the other Beta was calmly holstering a weapon. “You know, not that I’m, um, complaining here… but… why the _fuck_ are you helping me?”

“Rule’s always been you challenge the clan leader and win, you take their place,” the one who’d just shot Digby explained patiently.

“Okay, yeah, I know that. But, and I’m not sure how you forgot, I’m an Omega,” Eggsy said in the same tone.

He shrugged. “Rules’re rules.”

Eggsy laughed nervously. “No, no, look, bruv. You don’t put a fucking _Omega_ in charge of shit, okay?”

“Then maybe an Omega shouldn’t challenge a clan head,” Michelle said.

“Yeah, well, thought I was gonna die, okay?” Eggsy shook his head. “Okay, look, look. He had someone who helped him with shit, right? Like… I dunno, my Alpha’s basically got a council.”

The two Betas exchanged an amused glance.

“Yeah, nothing like that here.”

“Wasn’t even when you were still living here.”

Eggsy groaned inwardly. “Fine. Go… go find me whoever’s the most… I dunno. Two or three of the oldest Alphas and Betas. They can be it and when they agree that I’m not your fucking clan head, then I’m gone, right?”

The two Betas exchanged another amused glance and left to do that.

“You’re already giving them orders,” Michelle half-sang at him.

“Oh, fu-” He stopped himself. “Mum, please?”

“What’re going to do if they decide you should stay?”

Eggsy gave her a sour look. “Die laughing.”

05

He didn’t die laughing, but he _did_ stare at them dumbly for a solid minute before saying anything, and what he chose was, “Excuse me?”

The eldest of the Alpha females spoke a bit louder. “I said, we’ve been through several versions of the rules, as well as the clan’s records of challenges. There’s nothing saying an Omega _can’t_ challenge the clan head.”

“No, I. I heard you just fine.” He shook his head. “I don’t _want_ this. The only reason I even challenged him was to get him to stop punishing people cos of what I did.”

“Which,” the only male among the Alphas began, “is another reason in your favor. You put your life on the line for the good of the clan.”

Eggsy scowled. “That isn’t-”

“If I may?” a relatively young Beta began, “You requested us to make a decision as to whether or not we, as a clan, should accept you as our Clan Father, correct?”

“Yes, but-”

“So doesn’t that mean you’re willing to _trust_ our judgement?”

“Well, yes, but-”

“ _So_ ,” she continued on, overriding him, “shouldn’t you trust it _now_?”

He gaped at her. “Well… I.”

“We have no problem serving as a permanent council for you,” the eldest said. “Or a temporary one until you find members you’ll be more comfortable with.”

Eggsy tipped his head back. What in the Hell was this, even? He closed his eyes and sighed. “Alright, I accept your finding.”

“Then if I might make a suggestion?” She waited for Eggsy to nod. “We’re going to lose allies over this, and likely some of our own people.”

Eggsy nodded. “Yeah. Well… I’ve got… two… clans… who’ll ally with us. As to those who wanna leave.” He paused. “They can leave, but… their Omegas stay.”

“Should they be considered abandoned and ownerless or yours?”

“Mine,” Eggsy said immediately. If they were his in name, they couldn’t be just snatched up by whoever happened to want them. “I also…” He trailed off.

“Yes?”

“What if… What if I wanted a couple Omegas on the council?”

A soft chuckle went among them.

“I put it at… 23 minutes,” the male Alpha said.

The eldest of the Alphas cackled. “Pay up!” The others all muttered and bills made their way over to her. “Ahhh, I _do_ love being right.” She chuckled. “As you might guess, we’ve discussed this. You’ll get a lot of flack for it, but I don’t think anyone would be surprised that an Omega clan head would… want other Omegas to help advise them.”

“Well, I’ll be getting that for being an Omega, anyway, so… no big deal.”

“The only real trouble we’re expecting right off is from your Alpha.”

He shook his head. “Why’s that?”

“Well, you’ve just become the head of a clan; your owner…”

Eggsy smiled a little. “In name only. I’m his mate, well… one of them. There’s four of us in all. But. We’re all. Equals.”

“Then, he shouldn’t be a problem.”

“No,” he said and was quiet for a moment. “He’s… he’s always been good to me.”

There was a knock and one of the two Betas - who’d decided to elect themselves his guards - popped his head in.

“Sorry to interrupt. Security called up. The Clan Father of Kingsman’s downstairs and says he’s expected.” He paused. “There’s only five of ‘em if you want him dead.”

“No, I do _not_ want him dead.” Eggsy paused, trying to not grin and mostly failing. “And he _is_ expected.”

The Beta nodded. “We’ll send him up then.”

“Well,” the eldest of the Alphas began. “We’ll go see to this so you can see to your guests.”

They left him alone, but it wasn’t long before the Beta popped his head in again, to be sure that Eggsy was done with his meeting. The Beta gave Harry a dirty look before letting the Alpha into the room; Merlin, Tilde, Roxy, and Eggsy’s parents followed.

“You,” Harry began. “You disobeyed me. You blew an entire mission and went off half-cocked.”

“Guess I’m out then, huh?” Eggsy said with a grin.

“Out? _Out_?” Harry went over to him. “I have half a mind to-”

“He’s kidding!” Eggsy yelled at the Beta, who was _quickly_ going on the defensive. He grinned up at Harry. “Kinda ended up with a pair of bodyguards.”

“Yes, we’ve met them. Charming fellows,” Harry said, eying the one in the room.

Eggsy made a shooing motion. “Look, I get that you’re, like, keeping me alive and shit right now.” He paused, giggling nervously, because it still hadn’t fully processed that he had _actual fucking bodyguards_ who’d just assigned themselves. “But I ain’t in danger of nothin’ right now! I got three protective mates, my parents, and my good friend. Believe me; I’m safe.”

The Beta shot Harry another dirty look but nodded and left them alone. The minute he was out the door, Eggsy pressed himself against Harry and started laughing. Between the adrenaline of attacking Dean and fighting Charlie, and everything that had happened since, Eggsy was bordering on hysterics.

Harry held onto him until the bout of nervous laughter passed and stayed gone. “Darling, you’ve made me very proud today. Blown mission and all.”

“He didn’t exactly blow it,” Roxy said. “I mean, we were going to go after Hesketh in time anyway. He just… sped up the timetable.”

“Don’t think,” Harry said, dropping his voice so only Eggsy would hear him, “that we’re done with this conversation. I _still_ have half a mind to do something about it.”

“This does… bring up something,” Tilde ventured. “Obviously Eggsy will have to live nearby, at least until things have gotten settled here. Should we still…” She tipped her head in a half-shrug.

“What? The four of us be mates publicly and merge all three clans?” Harry thought for a second and shook his head. “I don’t think that would be ideal.”

Eggsy pushed away from him, looking shocked and hurt. “But-”

Harry held up a hand. “Let me explain. By the time Tilde becomes a clan mother, you’ll have been in your position for - I would hope - a number of years. She _might_ be able to be out about being an Omega. Even if she isn’t, you’ll still be looked at as an Omega ruling a clan. If you have two Alphas as mates…” He trailed off.

Eggsy nodded. “It’ll look like I don’t really have any power. Like I’m just… a figurehead.”

“Exactly.”

Eggsy frowned. Eggsy _pouted_. “So, what? That’s it then?”

“No,” Harry shook his head. “You and Tilde be together publicly; Merlin and I will be together publicly. But we’ll still all be together.”

“Well…”

“And in time,” Harry soothed, “when people won’t see it as Merlin or I running things for you, we can be open about it again.”

“Alright,” Eggsy said, mollified. “I can live with that.”

06

It was months before Eggsy was able to spend any real time with his lovers. They talked, and often, but their time together was fleetingly short. Eggsy _had_ to establish himself as a Clan Father, standing alone without an Alpha or a Beta at his side - as clearly the _actual_ clan head. And there were internal problems to deal with.

Like the allies they lost, and the clan members who left.

But they _were_ surprisingly few in number, even if Eggsy came into a good dozen Omegas because their owners refused to follow one. They were allowed to live as they wanted, the way Harry had done for him. And it made a _lot_ of his people - which still gave him nervous giggles if he thought about it too long - uncomfortable with using their Omegas however they saw fit. But they’d agreed to follow Eggsy, at least for now, and so they gave their Omegas this strange new freedom.

Eggsy remained a Kingsman agent, just one inside a different clan. He wasn’t the only one with such a distinction. He was relieved, to say the least, that Arthur hadn’t simply stripped him of his rank. But he missed his mates more than anything else. He missed living with them, being beside them, waking up to them. Packages quickly began being delivered between the three clans to the four of them. While the couriers never knew what they were delivering, they were bringing pillows to each of the mates. They’d each keep them for some time, until their scents had replaced the scent of the mate it had come from, and then trade them back. It let them wake up to each other’s scents.

And the time came when things settled among his own people enough that he _could_ take a week and just be with his lovers. They spent their first day just holding him, touching him, kissing him. Reminding him in soft and gentle ways that he was missed, that he was loved, that he was their mate.

It was two nights later when they brought out the necklace Eggsy had been forced to stop wearing once he’d become the Clan Father. Tilde put it on him, her arms going around his neck as she clasped it.

“You’re still ours,” she said softly. “As long as you want to belong to us, you _do_.”

Her promise spread heat through him and he felt himself melting. He wanted to kneel before her, to give him his silent permission to do whatever they wanted with him. It was such a gloriously freeing thing, even now, to be able to offer himself up and _trust_ the ones he made the offer to.

“We’ve had time to,” she grinned and bit her lip, “well… discuss something.”

“Oh?”

“How much do you want to be surprised?”

Eggsy looked from her, to Harry, to Merlin. They were all watching him with (mostly) well masked desire. It made him grin. “Entirely.”

Merlin smirked and walked - more _strode_ really - over to him as Tilde moved away. Eggsy felt his breath catch at his desire to submit to him. Merlin’s body language, the look in his eyes, even his _scent_ \- although Eggsy was vaguely aware that might just be his imagination - spoke his dominance in such perfect silence. Eggsy felt himself going to his knees, although he couldn’t remember making the decision to do so.

“Very good,” the Alpha rumbled.

Eggsy shivered at the sound of his words.

Merlin knelt behind Eggsy and guided his arms behind his back. He tied them, forearm to forearm, kissing and biting at his neck and shoulders even as he bound the Omega. 

“You’re so good,” Merlin whispered softly against his skin. He pulled Eggsy back against him and the Omega could feel the rock hardness of his Alpha. “I may just have to fuck you until you cry.”

A needy sigh of lust escaped Eggsy. “I’ll keep being good,” he promised softly.

“I know you will.”

“Eggsy, my darling,” Harry began. His hand slipped up into Tilde’s hair and tightened until she cried out so softly it was more of a purr than an actual cry. “Do you remember when I told you I had half a mind to punish you in some manner?”

“Yes, Harry.”

“Get on your knees, my dear,” he said, releasing Tilde.

She went over to Eggsy, staying far enough away that she couldn’t touch him and knelt. She was already breathing heavily and Eggsy could see the hungry, needy look in her eyes.

“Harry, she’s…”

“Oh, I know,” he said pleasantly. “I’ve been working at her all day, and she hasn’t been allowed to so much as touch herself for a week now.”

“Harry, that’s...”

“I asked him to,” she purred. “We talked about it…”

“This is going to be your punishment,” Harry said as he knelt behind her. “You’re going to watch me fuck her and put her into that place where she wants nothing else but to fuck and be fucked.”

Eggsy made a soft sound and pressed back against Merlin. They’d talked about Harry making him watch, but they’d never _done_ it. “Harry, this ain’t exactly a punishment.”

Harry laughed softly. “Of course not, my darling slut, but I have a feeling you’ll still be begging for mercy by the end.” He pressed on Tilde’s back and she bent forward obligingly. “I want you to watch him, my dear. Let him see your face the entire time. Let him see how much you love being fucked.”

Eggsy watched as Harry entered her. He knew from the way her hands tightened on the carpet and she immediately ground against him that Harry was fucking her ass. His thrusts were slow, painfully slow for both Omegas; he kept his hands tightly on Tilde’s hips to keep her from speeding things up on her own. Her mouth was open and her eyes half-lidded. Every time Harry was fully inside of her, she whined in pure, simple need.

Harry had been tormenting them both for what Eggsy thought was an eternity when he felt Merlin’s hand wrap around his cock, tightly enough to be almost painful. He kept his strokes in time with Harry’s thrusts and he held Eggsy still despite the Omega’s needy protests. Merlin was paying complete attention to Eggsy, and everytime Eggsy was close to coming, Merlin stopped long enough to bite him, or tighten his hold on his Omega’s hardness so that it _was_ painful. He kept kicking Eggsy down from that delicious moment until Harry sped up inside of Tilde. And then, Merlin stopped his own torment of Eggsy and left him to his own unsatisfied need while he watched Harry fucking his beloved and heard her screaming with her delight and pleasure.

She lowered her head and rode out the waves of her orgasm. Afterward, she looked up at Eggsy, and he could see that she was nearly gone to her lust. She lunged at him and Harry held her back.

“No, my dear. Not yet.”

“Wanna,” she whined.

“I know, I know, but he’s being punished, remember?”

She whined in need and Harry guided her to sit back against him. “Being punished, too.”

“No, my dear,” Harry said softly.

Merlin guided Eggsy forward until he could smell nothing but her desire. Eggsy made the softest of sounds and took her into his mouth, pressing his tongue inside of her. She growled and grabbed him by the hair, pulling him tightly against her.

Harry took her hands away from Eggsy. “He needs to be able to breath, my dear.”

“Mm,” she agreed even as she bucked her hips up at Eggsy.

Harry held her still and Eggsy felt Merlin press against him and then inside of him. He cried out around Tilde, as much with pain as pleasure. They hadn’t stretched him, but it felt as good as it hurt and wanted it so badly as Merlin rammed against him again, and again, and again, forcing him wide in the most deliciously brutal of ways.

He found it so difficult to balance against her, without the use of his arms, so that he _could_ breathe easily. He heard nothing but the sound of Merlin and Tilde’s cries; his own were muffled against her. Every so often, he started feeling lightheaded and almost drunk, and when those times were because he wasn’t able to breathe, he’d feel Harry’s hands on him, lifting him enough so that he could. They had such complete control of him, and he loved it.

He felt Tilde’s hands in his hair, pulling him hard against her again as she came. This time, Harry didn’t pull Eggsy back from her, and Eggsy came hard, his near screaming barely heard. She lay back panting, letting him breathe again, and Merlin let himself go, slamming deep inside of his beloved and coming. He slipped out of the Omega and let Eggsy down to the floor entirely. 

He was shuddering all over from pure sensory overload and he heard Tilde’s soft moaning. He tried to shift enough to look at her, but quickly gave up the effort.

“What’re you doing now?”

“I bought Tilde a pleasant little toy for tonight,” Harry answered. “A double-ended strap-on, so she can be fucked while she fucks you until… well, until she’s satisfied.”

Eggsy whined, both nervous and excited. “Harry, she… She can go for _hours_ like this. I ain’t got that kinda… well. I _can’t_ come the way she can.”

Harry grabbed Eggsy’s chin and forced him to look up. “I know, my darling slut. She’s going to fuck you until you simply _can’t_ any longer. And then she’s going to use you for herself.”

Eggsy let out a breathy moan.

“I did tell you this was a punishment, did I not?”

“Fucking Hell, Harry.”

Harry smiled slowly and kissed him. His darling had sounded worried. “All you have to do, my darling, is say the word and we’ll take over for you,” he said so softly. “You don’t have to take a second more than you want to.”

He grinned. “Yeah, I know,” he said just as softly. “And I _will_ tell you. But…” And he looked suddenly so shy. “I kinda like… you know… the whole you threatening me with a punishment that isn’t one. It’s… Well…”

“Fun?” Harry supplied.

“Yeah…”

“Well then,” he sat back from Eggsy, his concerns assuaged. “He’s all yours, my dear.”

Harry helped Eggsy back onto his knees, and kept his legs under Eggsy so that he wasn’t just pressed hard against the floor. Eggsy felt Tilde crawl on him, felt her hands tighten on him; her mouth on his back, his shoulders. And then he felt the strap-on press against him.

He sighed pleasantly, settling against Harry and closing his eyes in anticipation. He was going to take every last second he could, and let her fuck him again and again while Harry held him and kept him safe. He pressed back against her and let her have him for all she could.

07

Life was not perfect for them, and it was years before they were able to live together again, and wake up beside one another every day. But they were happy and their lives good. Maybe the world hadn’t been changed by them, but theirs _had_ , and they would trade that for nothing.

_Fin_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading this entire thing :D I'm glad you enjoyed it. I had a lot of fun writing it, so I'm sure there's more A/B/O in my future.


End file.
